Shadows of Subspace
by MaverickKayPrime
Summary: From Bowser to Ganondorf, the world has its share of villains. However, one rules above the rest. An evil so great, it still sends shivers of fear down the spines of our heroes. An unknown group is attempting to revive this evil, and it will stop at nothing to do so. When all fall, only a prince and princess remain. In order to win, they must amass an army of their own.
1. The Shroud of Darkness

The Shroud of Darkness

 _Lady Toadstool. Lady Toadstool. Lady Toadstool. Princess, please... awaken..._

Fitly so, her eyes did open. Blue orbs like the ocean, stared dead ahead towards an image of pink. Her body rested upon bed sheets as soft and as plush as clouds themselves, matched with the pink and white of her blankets and pillows. A warm yawn escaped the young woman, as she finally managed enough strength to pull up. Her back ached and pained in various ways, while she bit upon her bottom plump lip. Her dainty hand stroked across her face, while an exasperated groan escaped her lips.

Her rest was near perfect, ruined by the voice in her head. Now that she was awake, how could she ever return to her slumber? Could she return to her slumber? Thanks to the sunlight streaking through the window, that was a flat 'no'.

She pulled herself up from her bed, her hand finding way to the back of her head. Between her golden-blond hair, she scratched her head, and felt a jolt of energy find way through her body. She was still half a sleep of course, but was rapidly finding the energy to stand. She pulled her legs over the edge of her queen-sized bed, her blue eyes staring out towards the massive size of her bedroom. Avant-garde designs lined the chamber from wall to wall, truly a style no one else had; all of it tailored to her specific tastes. It wasn't the kind you'd see in Hyrule, Sarasaland, or even the likes of Dreamland or Midgar. No, this style was simply _peachy_.

The young woman rose from her bed then, trailing through her room in her pink nightwear. Making way towards her window, she pressed her hands beneath it, and pushed up slowly. Opening the window up wide, her blue eyes stared out of it while the wind rushed alongside her. Her blonde hair was slightly rustle by the wind, so too her white curtains. She merely stared against it however, out towards her castle.

A white castle, with pink roofs lining it the tops. An amazing castle, visible from the fields far outside her castle town. Toad Town, is it's name. Named after the denizens of this kingdom; the toads. She stared down towards the city streets, seeing as it was dotted with various citizens. Their heads like giant mushrooms, all of them sporting a different design. Red here, blue there, pink there, yellow, green; pretty much every color. Oh look, there were a few Shy Guys among them as well.

These were her people. _Her_ people. The young woman – their _ruler_ – reached her hand out from her window. Left and right, she waved them in a gentle manner. Some of her denizens saw her doing this, and began waving back. There were smiles on her, as they saw her as the most _perfect_ person ever. A variable _goddess._

"Good morning Princess!" a voice echoed from below.

She laughed from the statement, and continued to wave her hand to and fro, before the door behind her suddenly opened up. The princess launched up like a cat in fear, turning around with her hands attempting to cover herself. However, the person who suddenly sprang up on her wasn't an intruder of any sort, instead a toad much like the rest. An older toad unlike the others, with a bushy white mustache that covered his mouth and chin. His fungi top was brown on white, the most muted color one could see of Toads, in fact. His small spectacles sat on his face, gleaming in this sunlight, while the young woman merely glared at him.

"Toadsworth!" Peach shouted at him, her face flaring red with embarrassment, "What are you doing!? You just cant barge into my room without even knocking first!"

"Oh please, Princess Toadstool," the older man claimed as he walked further inside, his cane clanking against the floor, "There's nothing on your body I haven't seen already! After all, I did raise you for most of your life!"

"That doesn't change the fact that I'm not four anymore!" she snapped back, "You just can't barge into my room without my saying so!"

"Then perhaps try locking your door next time," Toadsworth replied with a chuckle, as he approached her closer, "I believe you would've learned that lesson, considering the fact that we were attacked not too long ago by Bowser some time ago. One would think you _want_ to be captured some times... oh-ho ho!"

He turned and continued his chortles, while his very annoyed ruler threw bed-sheets upon him. Considering his short stature, it took him a while to navigate from under the blankets and stare at her, watching as she chuckled at his predicament. Sighing as he settled his glasses, the older toad gave a hard groan as he placed his fists on his hips.

"Okay, be that as it may," Toadsworth said as he regained his composure, "We have a pretty busy day ahead of ourselves, Princess Toadstool!" she walked pass him as he said that, making way for her wardrobe in the corner of the room, "We'll be taking the train station out of Toad Town – don't worry, Toadette will do a great job in looking over the castle – we'll head through Hyrule Castle Town, over the plains of...! Princess! Are you even listening?"

"Yes, Toadsworth, I am listening," Peach said as she began to pull out various dresses, before heading for the mirror.

"Well... quite, Princess," Toadsworth said before turning around as to not face her as she dressed to down her, well, unmentionables, "Mmmhhmmm! Yes, to continue! Taking the train through Hyrule Castle Town and over the plains of Midgar, it shouldn't take us too long to make it to our destination!"

"And where might that be, Toadsworth?" Peach asked as she pulled out from her nightgown.

"Princess! You should know this!" he replied, "We've been planning this trip for months now! No, at least a _year_! Why, I brought it up to you little over last year! Towards the end of that whole Subspace... whatever-whatever! It is time we connected everything and everyone in this world of Trophium, just in case we have another invasion of those things! Why, remember what happened to you?"

"Yes, yes, I remember..." Peach replied before shivering, "I don't pray trophication falls upon anyone, Toadsworth. It... it is honestly a fate far worse than death... ugh..."

"Uh, Princess, trophication _is_ death, remember?" he corrected as he stroked his mustache, "How many times must I remind you of that information?"

"It is still not a great image in one's head," Peach belied in a less than enthusiastic manner, before sighing as she pulled herself into her bedroom, "But, please, Toadsworth, continue!" her voice emanated from beyond the wall.

"As the for what we are doing – since you are so keen on forgetting – not only are we connecting our forces for a stronger united front. Since not only will the likes of Princess Zelda and... ah-hem... _King_ Dedede... even though I don't _think_ he's a king, there will also be representatives of the newer worlds who have arrived into the land of Trophium."

"Uh... newer worlds?" Peach asked in question, as he heard the shower activate.

"Yes, yes! Those of the Xenoblade world! Or Guar or... whatever... ah-ha! And those from the land of Midgar, and that Umbra Witch and their representatives! This shall easily be the largest gathering of people and forces seen this year! Or perhaps of all years! It's truly hard to figure out. And at the forefront of it all shall be you!"

"If I'm at the forefront," Peach called through the wall, "Then why aren't the festivities being held here? At the Mushroom Kingdom? Why do we have to go... wherever we're going, if I'm the one leading the charge here?"

"Why, yes, of course, Princess Toadstool. It is a matter of simple convenience! The land we are heading for happens to be in the heart of the world of Trophium. Well, of lands that have been discovered thus far, of course and not taking into consideration the Lylat System, which is all the way in outer space."

"I see... a matter of simple convenience..." Peach repeated lowly, so that Toadsworth could not hear it, "Well then... what _is_ the land that we are going to, Toadsworth?"

"Ah, yes, the land is called... hm... now then... let me see here... you have to apologize, I tend to miss-pronounce it name quite often."

"What was that?"

"Give me a second!" he reached into his vest to pull out a piece of paper. After settling his glasses on the word inscribed on the piece of paper, the older toad nodded his head and smiled, "Yes! The land we are going to is a place called Archanea! Or perhaps Ylisse... it's hard to judge; they've been practicing with time manipulation! I swear it, my dearest Princess!"

"Archanea?" Peach replied, "Hm... who is the leader of Archanea?"

"Why, it is a young man... he goes by the name of... oh dear! We must hurry!"

"What? Toadsworth!?"

"I just checked the clock, and it appears as if we may be a tad bit late for a minute or two! I must work quickly, Princess Toadstool! Ready the trains and call the Mario Bros. before we depart! No, wait! Isn't Luigi at Sarasaland with Princess Daisy? Or is he staying at that mansion of his? Oh! It's hard to settle down! Do, please, make haste, Princess! I shall be back!"

"Ahhh... gosh... darnit, Toadsworth..."

Peach's hand found the knob of her shower, twisting it and turning it off. Groaning as she stood in her shower stall, the princess pulled down a towel in order to cover her naked body. Stepping out into her bedroom, she found it to be as empty as it was when she woke up. On her bed, laid her iconic pink dress; could she wear anything else? Well, seeing as how there was no sport activity going on in her kingdom at the time, the answer is simply no.

As Peach pulled her pink dress into her arms, her eyes glanced over towards her mirror. She rested her clothing in front of her body, as she had done so time and time before. As she stared at herself, an image of disdain sat on her face. Oddly enough, not even Peach herself could explain just _why_ that image sat on her face. Was she sad? No. Nor was she bored with the prospect of this trip. This journey was for the betterment of the entire world, to ensure another Subspace Emissary never happens.

So why? Just. Why?

 _Lady Toadstool. Lady Toadstool. Lady Toadstool. Princess, please... awaken..._

…

Sparkles. Glistening, glowing, glittering sparkles shimmered around her hands. When she moved them left, they followed. When she moved them right, they followed. Placing her glove-less her hands together, she pulled them apart and created a rainbow of light. No, literally; in between the princess of Toadstools hands, laid a perfect, arching rainbow bridge.

"Lovely, Peach," her friend stated from across the table, "You still make them better than I can."

She was a young woman, similar in age and stature to Peach herself. No, wait, she was just a tad bit taller. Long brown hair hung from her hair, two braids at the sides, and even the back made into a larger one. Her skin tone is, quite honestly, somewhat pale, indifferent to her indigo eyes. Her ears, sharp and pointy, like an elf in popular culture. But to call her an 'elf' would gain one a swift slap of magical properties; she's a Hylian, you see. And not just any Hylian. With the tiara on her head, and the various golden adornments on her body, she's simply the ruler of them.

Princess Zelda herself sat across from Peach, the duo riding along a most magnificent train. It glided along the train tracks at a moderate – yet quick – pace, as the lands passing them by were just a blur. On board this train, multiple Toads and Hyrulean soldiers ran left and right, making the trip as comfortable as possible for the two Princesses.

"I can only make sparkles, Zelda," Princess Peach said as she slowly slid her gloves back onto her hands, "You can teleport, cast fire, envelop yourself in a shield of crystals, summon ghosts and... you know that Sheik guys number; how'd you get that, exactly?"

"Ah-ha! Sheik's just an old friend!" Zelda laughed as she hand waved it off, all while a blush formed on her face, "Besides, Sheik's not the kind of guy you're after! He's more of a quiet type anyway! You wouldn't like him; after all, you'd do all the talking anyway!"

"Zelda, I already do all the talking," Peach replied, making her friend's face grow sharp as she glared at her, "But that's fine! I like your quiet nature anyway!"

"Hey... I'm not _that_ quiet..."

"Please, you're more quiet than Link."

"Didn't your mother ever teach you to think before you talking, Peach?"

"No, but I'm pretty sure Toadsworth told me a think or two about that before!"

Peach laughed at her statement, while Zelda took a dainty sip of the drink before her. While the blonde slowly grew silent, her eyes trailed out towards the window they sat besides. So too did Zelda's, and the two Princesses looked out towards the vista together. The image of green fields and mountains trailed by the two. Things grow solemn as they stared, neither side saying a word. Instead, they merely gazed upon the fields. There were light signs of destruction in certain areas; the wounds of a battle that occurred such a while ago. And yet, it felt just like yesterday.

"I can't believe it's been a year already," Peach said, her voice holding a twinge of disdain, "It feels just like last week when that first Subspace Bomb activated... an entire arena... gone in an instant."

"I've seen just as much destruction... and even I still can't fathom the power of it," Zelda claimed, before sighing and putting on a genuine smile, "But that's why we're doing what we're doing. To make sure such an unspeakable act ever happens again."

"Yes... to make sure it never happens again..." Peach repeated, before raising her hand.

For seemingly no reason, she caused sparkles to glisten around her hand. While Zelda nonchalantly sipped on her drink, the Princess of Toadstools merely gave a hard sigh.

"Excuse me, Zelda," she said as she stood up from the table, "I need to get myself some air..."

"Mmm-hmm..." Zelda merely answered as she continued to drink.

Peach made her way down the aisle of the glorious train car, walking through the doors at the far end. Walking along the small gap that connected train cars together, she opened up through to the immediate next car. As soon as she stepped foot inside, the entire car shook, the heat rose, and sounds of grunts and pain echoed through the hall.

Peach came to a dead halt at the entrance to the train car, standing straight as her eyes cut forward. The first thing that attracted her, was the allure of a powerful blaze. In the palm of a gloved hand, sat an orb of glistening fire. It swirled in place, as a puff of steam rose from around it as well. A blazing flame of indescribable power, capable of incinerating those foolish enough to get close. And yet, it swayed under the command of a man. A man with brown hair, blue eyes, and the most iconic blue overalls and red hat this side of of the kingdom. The one, the only...

"Let's a go!" Mario shouted as he pulled back his hand, minute traces of fire following with his limb.

He glared across the battle-worn train car towards his opponent, a certain young man in a green tunic. His chest was charred thanks to fire, but that wasn't enough to end his resolve. His well groomed blonde hair sat tucked beneath a green cap; his most enduring colors. In his hand sat a blade more powerful than time itself, and a shield capable of withstanding the strongest of attacks. Despite taking a mighty strike to the chest, he looked no less worse for wear, and more than ready to keep this battle going.

"Seeeeeetttt!" Link shouted as he readied his blade.

The two took dangerous steps towards one another, their blue eyes glaring had at their mutual opponents. They were scanning each other now, taking strides to point out any glaring weakness or whole in the others defense. However, upon realizing they were in the presence of royalty, the two straightened themselves out. Link and Mario gazed to Peach together, the Hero of Time gaining a silly embarrassed blush on his face. Mario however merely smiled as he tipped his hat up at his princess.

While most princess had a more traditional knight for protection – the proverbial 'Knight in Shining Armor' as it were – Peach had no such thing. Instead, for a mighty protector against all evil, her's was this somewhat short, a bit pudgy perhaps, and often times incomprehensible Italian plumber. Granted, despite this less than stellar description of him, those who underestimate Mario often find themselves fighting a person with seemingly no strengths, but no true weaknesses either.

"Oh you boys," Peach said as she waltzed between the two, "Please, ignore me and continue your fighting. Just, uh, try not to destroy the Train Car, alright? We kinda need this in order to make it safely to our destination."

The two young men (wait, how old is Mario?) nodded in unison, while Peach calmly skipped by. As she did so, this trail of sparkles emanated from her feet and dress; an often times uncontrollable action of her's. It sure did attract the eyes of Mario, that is until a certain mechanical claw slammed on his chest, and swiftly pulled him away.

Peach exited through the back door of the train car, sighing as she stood on the balcony at the very end of the large train car. Her blue eyes stared out towards the train tracks they trailed upon, watching as they zoomed far away into the horizon. Green pastures sat on both sides of her, along with mountains as tall as Death Mountain itself. Actually, no, wait, one of those mountains was Death Mountain; they were still in Hyrule, as it would seem.

Peach wasn't that much interested in these things however, as she rested her arms on the banister of the train. She merely sighed as the wind rushed along her blonde hair, bouncing it and her pink dress. Slowly, and almost by instinct, she removed the glove that sat on her hand, as well as the ring. Clutching it in her other hand, the Princess of Toadstools caused her glove-less hand to emanate sparkles. They shined and shimmered around her limb, baying and swaying to her every command. It was a glorious as well as a mysterious sight to behold.

"Hmmm..." she mumbled to herself.

"Yaaaiiii?"

Peach's eyes moved to her lower left, where she noticed a certain green dinosaur. He was sleeping calmly, until being bothered by the princess and her glowing limbs. His eyes opened, his long tongue slide out, and he a warm yawn escaped his resting maw. Upon seeing him, Peach could only smile, as the cute green dinosaur stood up onto his feet.

"Oh, Yoshi, I'm sorry," Peach said as she patted him on the head, "I woke you up, didn't I?" he merely nodded with eyes half-closed, before yawning once more, "Sorry about that; I didn't even notice you out here."

He merely rolled his eyes in disbelief at that statement; after all, it's not like Yoshi is a small being to ignore. Even Peach herself realized that. She was just that engrossed with herself, she found herself ignoring the cute voracious dinosaur. But Yoshi was never the kind of person to hold a grudge, especially towards his owner. While her hand patted and grooved along his head, her other hand continued to emit sparkles in an indifferent manner.

"Yoshi..." she whispered, making him look up to her. She opened her mouth to say something else, but instead closed it. "Nothing, Yoshi... just... just ignore me..."

Her hand curling shut, the sparkles that glittered around Peach's hand suddenly came to a halt. Then she sighed, as she continued to stare out among the fields they zoomed by.

…

His black coat wavered in the wind. He stood atop a dusty butte, nearest the edge of a rocky cliff. His arms were crossed over one another, folded in an intense pose. His face was blank; most expressionless. Yet as the train far below began to pass by him, his dark blue eyes slid into a powerful glare.

He said nothing, and did nothing; merely standing as the wind ruffled his cloaked body. His red tie slid out from his coat and waved in the wind as well, prompting him to stuff it back into his coat. His arms fell from their folded position and sat at his sides, while he continued to glare down to the passing vehicle.

"Quite the sight, isn't it?" a high-pitched voice echoed from behind. It matched that of a young girl; quite possibly a teenager. Somewhere between the age range of 13 and 17, yet lacking a sever level of maturity.

The man in the black coat turned around, his eyes falling upon a little girl. Though, it was hard to tell. She had these eyes that glowed, shimmered even, as if staring into the starry night. Her hair was pink, and curled. Her over all attributes somewhat cartoonish. She was a chubby, cute, chibi-like being. And yet this unmistakable aura of vileness emanated from her entire being. This little girl – if she could be called that – felt positively _evil_.

But why? She had those sparkling eyes, the pink hair, a pink shirt with a flower on it, red sneakers, and white and blue socks. For all intents and purposes, she looked like a normal girl, minus the proportions. But her lips held this most malicious and mischievous smile, and her hand was curled towards it ever so slightly. She was chuckling as she sat on this rock, gazing at the man in the black coat. He pulled on his gloved hands as he approached her, their eyes locking upon one another. His expression was still nonchalant, still indifferent to her existence. She retained that sickening smile of malicious intent.

"I don't get it," said the pink-haired girl, "Why don't we just kill them now? Stop them from getting to Archanea and be done with all of this?"

"Negative..." a mechanical voice echoed beyond the two.

The pink-haired girl and her dark partner stared up together, watching as a being cloaked and green descended. From head to toe, it was impossible to see him. The only visible attribute of the organism within, were the pair of glowing yellow eyes that sat beneath it's hood.

"We must wait and bide our time," the being said with a voice as cold and as robotic as physically possible, "If we affect anything before they arrive at Archanea, we may ruin our hard work and plans..."

"Yes, yes, oh glorious Ancient Minister 'our' plans," the pink-haired girl said in an offhanded manner, as she sighed, "Please, mind explaining to me just exactly _what_ our plans are again?"

"You will learn the plans when I see fit, Morta," the robotic voice retorted quickly, those yellow eyes burning down upon her position, "And I would find it in my best interest if you remained silent from here on out."

"Yeah right..."

"As for you, doctor," the Ancient Minister said as his eyes shifted towards the man in black, "Are you ready to make way for Archanea?" saying nothing, the man in black merely nodded, "Good. Let us waste no longer time."

The Anicient Minster and Morta turned away, moving along the cliff-side for an unknown direction. However, the man in black – the doctor – turned to face the train once more. It had already made quite a bit of distance in its tracks, almost vanishing over the horizon during their talk. But the man with his dark blue eyes could still see it. Saying nothing, he merely nodded his head and walked off, his hands cackling with electricity.

…

So long ago on this day, he did the same exact thing. He stood at the balcony of his abandoned castle, staring out to an endless desert field. A field laid with the armaments and weapons of a siege, that happened even longer ago. He remembered watching as dark denizens appeared about his kingdom, like ghosts in the night. He remembered watching as they attacked his castle, and he remembered watching as they detonated that bomb. That massive bomb that did not destroyed, but devoured. A bomb that did not disintegrate, but instead evaporated. A bomb that transported those into the realm of Subspace.

It was so long ago indeed. Felt like just last week though.

But, as they say, time heals all wounds. The marks and scars of battles had been cleansed since the Subspace Emissary, replaced with connections and roads. Train tracks in the distance were filled with trains, as people from far of lands visited the heart of Archanea itself. So too the roads, as vehicles trailed upon them, bringing leaders ready for peace talks. And even from the skies above, ships approached, to reduce the chances of another Subspace assault of any kind.

"Hero-King. Our guests have arrived..."

Yes, the Hero-King. A young man – perhaps twenty – who was already exalted thanks to his many, many battles. A young man who had witness and participated in more wars than many have seen in their entire lives. The one who had gained the title of 'Hero-King'. He was tall young man, similar in height to a certain Hero of Time, though shorter than a King of Evil. His hair was a moonlight blue, his eyes a shining blue as well. It matched with his entire outfit; his blue uniform, adorn with a magnificent blue cape. A red gleaming gem that held the cape over his chest, pinned down and stuck in place. He was dressed as usual, sans the breastplate and the shoulder pads that would protect him. But everything else remained on his body, including his sheathed blade at his side.

"It's called a political meeting, Hero-King... not a battle..."

He turned to face the one who spoke to him, seeing a woman much like him, actually. Long blue hair, dark blue eyes, and even a blade sheathed at her side. And yet, she was completely different, with her clothing not the same as his. No, instead she wore a magnificently ivory-colored tailored dress, akin to those of a princess from Hyrule or the Mushroom Kingdom. She was a princess much like they, and yet it looked as if the clothing wasn't to her liking. She was blushing from embarrassment, and shifting slightly on her feet.

"Please, don't look too hard," she said as she shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot.

"Ah-ha! Lucina!" said the Hero-King as he stared at her, "I'm impressed, where'd you get such a dress? It couldn't have been your own specific styling."

"H-hey! I don't buy _that_ bad of clothes," Lucina stated as she sighed, "Though, if you must know, Daisy of Sarasaland came by and... we had one of those... 'shopping sprees' is what she called it, I think..." she shrugged, "I thought one of the dresses we bought that day would be perfect for tonight's evening. Speaking of which, Hero-King, shouldn't you be dressed more appropriately for this event? Your Lord's uniform – while stylish – isn't what one may call party attire."

"Please, Lucina, call me Marth," the young man stated as he rested his hand upon the handle of his blade, "And my Lord's uniform is perfect for such an event. While it may not be to the highest standard you or the princess and princesses of other lands may wear, I feel as if it's the best. After all, it's the clothing I wear usually around the denizens of Archanea; why must I change it for this event."

"Uhhh... Marth... that's not what I..." she suddenly tensed up however, making Marth raise an eyebrow.

He looked at Lucina, who was now blushing from even more embarrassment; as if she had been caught in the middle of an act. Turning around, the Hero-King could see why. Behind him – on the edge of the balcony – stood a mysterious being. A small, spherical type person; well, not a person as in a human, per se. He couldn't have been any taller than two feet, barely coming up to Marth's waist as it would be. His face hidden beneath a mask, his body covered in a purple cape. The only thing visible about this small creature was his moonlit yellow eyes, that glowed even now.

"Ah, Sir Meta Knight. It's been a while," Marth said to the bat-like being, who remained perched on this banister, "It's great to see you were able to make the festivities."

Meta Knight merely nodded as he unfolded his arms, allowing his cape to flutter in the wind. Much like Lucina and Marth before him, his blade was sheathed at his side.

"I apologize for my shadowed appearance," Meta Knight said with a voice holding this Spanish tone, "I needed to talk with you on a more personal level, Marth."

"Welp, I guess that's my cue," Lucina stated as she walked away, exiting through the entrance to the balcony.

"What is wrong, Sir Meta Knight?" Marth asked with a raised eyebrow, "Is something amiss?"

"Indeed, I believe they are," Meta Knight stated as he pulled up his cape again, covering his body, "I... I have felt something stirring in the winds, Marth. Something I can't quite... _fathom_ , as it would seem."

"And what might that be, Sir Meta Knight?" Marth inquired, "I... I'm afraid I don't quite follow."

"I wish I could describe it better myself," Meta Knight stated, "On my way here, I passed by Ike. He was making his way towards Archanea as well, though it may take him longer to get here than it did I. I spoke with Ike, and he claimed to have felt it as well... whatever _it_ is..." slowly turning around, Meta Knight relinquished hold of its cape, "I recommend you pay closer attention to tonight's events as they pan out. I know I will... oh, and did you hide the food as I specified?"

"Yes, Sir Meta Knight; there's no way Kirby or King Dedede will locate tonight's meals," Marth stated with a small chuckle.

"Good... if they located it," Meta Knight's cape suddenly transformed into bat wings, and began flapping, "Then no one would be eating tonight."

Without another word, Meta Knight took off for the skies. He flew through the air skillfully, before vanishing through with the empty dark knight. Marth smiled as he watched his friend and comrade vanish, before said smile turned into a frown. Meta Knight was a man of few words, so the words he did speak were always of the utmost importance. If he felt some ominous in the wind, then perhaps the meeting was in danger. Immediate danger or distant danger; it was hard to tell. However, it was already too late to cancel the night's events; these union talks would happen, regardless of threats or not. He could only pray at this point in time.

"Marth are you ready?" Lucina asked as Marth emerged from his chamber, walking down the halls with a stoic face.

"Yes, Lucina, I've been ready since this morning," Marth stated as he scratched at the back of his head, "I wonder; do you give your father this much fuss over things?"

"I give my father _ten times_ more fuss than this," Lucina stated with a snarl, "You haven't seen the full extent of my fussing!... are you sure you don't want to change your clothes, Hero-King?"

"I'm positive, Lucina," Marth said as they came to a pair of curtains at the end of the hall, "Now... it's time... to step into a new era of our world..."

His hands grabbed a hold of the curtains tightly, then quickly pulled them back.

…

The cherry red stick slowly left her lips. She pursed them, pulled them in, smearing the red dye upon them both. Growing pleased with her actions, the young woman receded the lipstick back into its base, and placed it away. Then her eyes trailed up.

Princess Peach – for what felt like the 100th time this evening – stared at herself in the mirror. She looked absolutely stunning now, after having put on more make up to prepare herself for the night. Some blush, lipsticks, and a tiny bit of eyeliner; you probably wouldn't be able to tell unless you looked hard enough.

Peach shook her head left and right gently, making her hair bounce, and tiny sparkles to flicker around her body.

"Princess Toadstool! Princess Toadstool!" a voice emanated from the door behind her, "Are you ready, Princess? The events are about to begin; we must make haste!"

Peach rose from her chair shortly after, making way to the door in her dressing room. After pushing it open, her eyes befell a certain toad, who stood exasperated with his cane in hand.

"Hey, it looks like someone learned to knock before entering," Peach said in a snappy fashion with a smile on her face.

"And it looks like someone learned to actually lock her door," Toadsworth replied in an equally snappy fashion, "Now then, we must make haste, Princess Toadstool? We can simply wait around all day for you to dress yourself over and over again! Princess Zelda and Link have already made it to Archanea Castle; we shouldn't be wasting our time behind!"

"I know that, Toadsworth," Peach said as she walked out of the dressing room, clutching the top of her dress as she did so, "I apologize for my childish nature, up until now..." she gave a courteous bow, "Could you ever forgive me?"

"I'd gladly forgive you, Princess, if you'd just hurry on to Archanea castle! Go ahead! Shoo, shoo!"

He began pushing into her from the back, making Peach yell at him due to his abrasive actions. She was pushed through to the exit of this train car, and stepped out onto the steps to the platform outside. As soon as she stepped foot upon the wooden ground of the platform, Peach found herself being surrounded on all sides by people of different races and cultures. Cameras constantly flashed all around her, and questions bound from all around. Honestly, Peach wasn't all that bothered by this. As royalty, she was used to things like this happening.

All she could do was tense up, and let Toadsworth handle all of this.

"No no! No questions now! Save them for later! What? No! My head is not a hat! What!? My mustache is real, thank you very much! I said no more questions! Toadette is not my daughter! No I will not give you her number! Why would I even have such a thing!?"

Peach could only smile and chuckle as she walked along the path laid out for her towards a horse-drawn carriage. A horse-drawn carriage resembling a mushroom top, of course. Peach ambled her way into the carriage with Toadsworth behind her, sitting down on one side of the plush seats. When she looked up, her eyes met the eyes of her hero.

"Oh, Mario! I didn't even see you exit the train car!"

He merely laughed at the statement, before entering a thoughtful pose. Hand reaching behind his back, the plumber pulled out an umbrella. Peach's umbrella. Reaching forward, he handed the parasol to Peach, who clutched it close to her chest. Smiling, she looked up to Mario with her face sparkling. Ya'know, literally.

The horse-drawn carriage they sat in slowly began to move then, trudging along a path towards Archanea castle. Above them in the night sky, fireworks began to explode. The starlit skies were painted a myriad of colors thanks to the fireworks that sounded off, each one a different size, a different color, all promoting peace.

Among these fireworks on a distant building, a man in a black cloak stood against it all. His dark blue eyes glared down upon the heart of Archenea, and where the peace talks were to be held. The heart of the mighty kingdom itself; the Millennium Court. Quite the name for a castle town, but a perfect one nonetheless.

 _BEEP. BEEP. BEEP._

The man's hand slid into his coat, eventually pulling out a small disk-shaped device. Pressing the button on the side of it, he rose it up to his ear, as a voice echoed from inside of it.

"Morta is in place," said a mechanical voice that came through the machine, "I assume you are as well. Tonight, we strike. Move into position."

The man in black – the doctor – merely nodded to the whims of the Ancient Minister, before pressing the side of his device once more. Turning it off, he slid it away into his coat, then glared off towards the distance. The heart of all Archanea, the heart of Millennium Court itself, the castle belonging to the Hero-King.

The doctor walked to the edge of the building he stood on, crossing his arms once more. Scanning the area ahead of him, his eyes moved down to the horse-drawn carriages belong. Marth spared no expenses in the even, as all royalty had carriages matching their lands. The Hyrulean carriage was adorn with the Triforce, and was a magnificent green color. The one for Dreamland was twice the size as the others (mainly because of King Dedede), and held star imprints on it. However, the one for the Mushroom Kingdom – for Princess Peach – attracted his eyes. He stared at it far longer than he should have, though it was probably unnoticeable to others. His hand reached out for the carriage below, and he curled it, as if palming the ride in his hand.

Then he looked off towards Castle Millennium.

"Hmm..."

The princess' eyes grew wide, sparkles emanating from her briefly. They were accidental, being more by instinct that on her own free-will. Rubbing the side of her face, the Princes of Toadstools stared across the carriage to the man on the other end.

"Mario," she said to him, "Did you... feel that?"

The plumber, who was looking out the window, turned around to face his princess. Eyebrow raised, all he could do was shrug at the question asked of him. Peach sighed, before quietly apologizing for her weird question. She too looked out the window of their carriage then, waving solemnly towards the citizens they passed. So much joy was being conveyed to her through the window by all the people; she wished she could share their enthusiasm.

"Something... isn't right..." Peach whispered to herself, so low, neither Mario nor Toadsworth could hear her.

The carriage they road upon suddenly came to a halt, as they were now directly outside of the Millennium palace. As the doors were pushed open thanks to Toadsworth and soldiers outside, once more the flair of life and lights appeared. Mario stepped out first as usual, waving to the citizens around them. The land roared with life as they were in the presence of Mr. Video Game himself.

Shortly after, Peach stepped out as well, lights falling upon her. And, once more, the crowd roared with life. As graciously as only Princess Peach could deliver, she appeased to the masses around her, waving and emanating sparkles like only she could. She, Mario, and Toadsworth trailed up the mighty stairs towards the front door of the Millennium Castle, pushed through it, and entered inside.

Here, there were less common folk, replaced instead with the rulers of this world. Rosalina was there, Daisy with Luigi too, Zelda and Link of course, Donkey Kong with Diddy on his back, King Dedede and even little Kirby.

Those who weren't even leaders – the greatest of heroes – stood among them as well. The likes of Fox and Falco, Samus and her Pikachu (the same one she rescued from the Isle of the Ancients in fact), Captains Olimar and Falcon, and even Shulk. The heroes of today with the heroes of yesteryear. And even some villains as well, what with the likes of Bowser. All stood together in this hall.

Oh yes, Bowser. He said nothing, and Mario said nothing, but they glared alright. They glared hard at one another.

Honestly, the only noteworthy absence would be a certain King of Evil. Perhaps it was best if Ganondorf _wasn't_ here.

"I'm happy you could finally make it, Peach," Zelda teased as the pink princess took a seat besides her, "For a moment, I thought you got lost on your way to the exit."

"Oh you," Peach snarkly replied as she threw sparkles into her face, "Unlike some people, I actually like to look good when I have political rallies."

Her face met sparkles then, this time flung into her face thanks to Zelda herself. For the so called Triforce of Wisdom holder, she sure could act childish sometimes. She quickly reigned in her childishness however, as she put on a more appropriate face for such an event. Peach did likewise, showing a level of maturity not often seen from the likes of the Princess of Toadstools. All around this great hall, mostly everyone put on a more respectable face. Ya'know; those who physically _could_. Donkey Kong, Diddy and King Dedede on the other hand? Yeah, not so much.

"Mrrrgggg... where's the food at..." King Dedede grumbled lowly to himself, Kirby staring around as he too searched for it.

"Puyo..." mumbled the Hero of Popstar, before he too relented.

For all intents and purposes, things were quite serious in the hall. Everyone grew silent, as they awaited the head of the ceremonies; the one who housed them in general. As the chamber grew silent, Peach's eyes were attracted to the door at the opposite end of the chamber. A curtained hall, disallowing anyone's eyes to see through to the other end. It was at this time did Peach realize something; she hadn't seen anyone recognizable from the land of Archanea. You know; she saw no one from the land of the Fire Emblem. No Ike, no Roy, no Corrin – either one – as well as either variation of Robin. She didn't even see Lyndis.

And then the curtains opened up wide, to reveal a certain prince. No, no longer was he a prince; the Hero-King they called him. Moonlight blue hair, matched with azure blue eyes, matched with his overall blue appearance. A calm, stirring, almost _alluring_ smile sat on his lips. A slender man, far different from the likes of Mario, or anyone else from the Mushroom Kingdom. And a blade sheathed at his side, as if always at the ready.

"Good evening everyone," Marth called with a wave and a smile, Lucina at his back, "Please, let the talks begin."

* * *

 _Maverick Talks!_

 _Hiya you guys. So... a Super Smash Bros. fanfic. I've always loved the series back when it came out on the N64, and how could I not? Seriously, Mario could fight Link, could fight Pikachu, could fight Kirby; it's the greatest game ever created! And with SSB4 out, I mean, seriously, it's freaking great!_

 _Still, this story has a rather irregular beginning. I wasn't going to write a SSB story, even though I'm a big fan of it. Not until I promised to write a story for a close friend of mine. And, well, this is that story! As such, this story isn't going to run like my regular kinds of stories. I already have many of the chapters written out, but I won't post them all at once. Why? Because I feel like it. Besides, many or too long and need to be chopped up, so yeah, there's that._

 _Anyway, that's all I have to say for now. Next time, the villains of this story finally appear, and we see just how dangerous this adventure will be._

 _Oh yeah._

 _Great... now I need to come up with some Super Smash Bros. jokes. I'll think of them for the next time._

 _Maverick Kay Prime_


	2. Eclipsing Void

Eclipsing Void

The blasting lights above continued to shine, on and off, one after another. While the heads of the land spoke with one another in a confide chamber, there was no reason everyone else had to be bored as well. Outside, those flashing lights brought life to an otherwise dull party, which would surely have left the citizens filled with woe. But not so long as he was king of the festivities.

A young man, similar in height and build to the Hero-King himself. His hair, a burning hot red, matching with the searing flame that echoed not only within his heart, but inside his very soul. His uniform blue, akin to the Lords of the land he hailed from; once more, not too dissimilar to the garbs worn by the Hero-King himself. He was once known as a blazing warrior, who clashed in many battles, only to vanish shortly before the Subspace Emissary. He returned after however, retaining even greater skills in battle, with an even stronger blaze. The masses still give him that famous chant, the one many foes would last hear, before defeat befell them.

"ROY'S OUR BOY! ROY'S OUR BOY!"

Roy gazed over the banisters of the Millennium Court walls, towards the masses that partied below. This was a momentous occasion, as the idea of another Subspace Emissary was becoming more and more a distant memory. He could only wish he was there during said Emissary; perhaps the outcome would have been massively different. Perhaps it would've been the exact same; it was ever so hard to tell.

But Roy didn't care as he watched the fireworks explode overhead. He was the knight in charge of protecting the walls from any villainous opponents. Though he believed it a pointless cause – who would dare attack on such a day – he had his men on high alert. His most well-trained soldiers lined the city streets and the walls themselves, searching high and low for anyone who would dare threaten the event.

He smiled though, figuring it a pointless gesture. Laying his hands behind his head, he relaxed instead to enjoy the night above and the party below. Sucking the air through his nose, he took in the delicious taste of the party above and below. Before his lips turned into a frown. He dropped his hands from his head, raising one slightly to his face. His limb began to surge with fire, before said fire vanished.

"I know you're there," Roy said for seemingly no reason, before turning around, "Show yourself, fiend."

His eyes glared towards a catapult that sat just behind him, where he watched as a being cloaked in black pulled himself away. His arms were crossed, and his blue eyes glared straight towards Roy. The sight of this man in a lab coat with his red tie and stethoscope shocked Roy silent, who could only glare ahead towards him in pure awe.

"What? Yo-you?" he said, "What are you doing here?"

Before he could say another word, the man in the black coat rushed at Roy at full speed, fists cackling with electricity. He threw a hook towards Roy's head, who dodged it easily, then threw another punch which the burning Lord sidestepped quickly. Then the man in black ducked down, throwing a kick aimed towards Roy's feet, who easily leaped over the entire strike.

Roy landed behind the man in black, quickly withdrawing his blade as he did so. Without a moment of hesitation, his sword suddenly ignited itself, burning with heat and flames. Grasping his sword by the reverse, he quickly dashed towards the black cloaked being and swung with all his might. His opponent quickly pulled out a white sheet however, a sheet that not only struck Roy dead on, but produce a powerful gust of wind. When Roy's eyes opened after taking such a strike, he was facing the edge of the wall, instead of his foe. It took him shortly after to realize he was facing the opposite direction.

"What the?" _BZZZZRRRRTTTTT!_ "RRAAAAAAGGGGHHHH!"

A powerful surge of electricity coursed through Roy's entire being, his eyes shining from the powerful strike. And then, a glowing yellow light appeared on his body, slowly growing in size. This light quickly enveloped his body, replacing flesh and clothe with steely-pure stone and marble. A golden disk appeared around his feet as well, as he lost mobility and became pure stone.

Roy fell over, though he wasn't dead. Nor was he alive for that matter. No, the Young Lion was now a _trophy._ Unable to move, unable to think, unable to _live_. He was frozen like any other statue or figurine.

The man in black – the doctor – stood tall above him. He cracked his knuckles, causing sparks of electricity to emit from the action. The man gave a hard sigh after, before slowly unbuttoning the lab coat on his body. Walking away from the trophified Roy, he made way instead for Millennium Castle.

With skill and finesse, the doctor was capable of trialing up the side of the castle. He leaped from balcony to balcony, jumped between walls with ease, and climbed with as much fervor as a certain Italian plumber. Eventually, he found one such opening to the castle. It wasn't through a window, instead through an open balcony towards the back of the castle. Landing inside, his dark blue eyes stared towards a door at the opposite end of the bedroom.

The doctor nodded his head up and down at the sight, before curling his hands into fists. The room was eerily quite, despite the fireworks that echoed overhead. Approaching the door, the man in black reached out to palm its door handle. As soon as he touched it however, a flung blade embedded itself in the wall directly besides him.

The doctor stared at the sword; it was golden, with smaller spikes jutting out from the side of the main blade itself. It's hilt was small, made for use by someone far smaller than the doctor himself. In fact, the entire blade was – in comparison – quite the small one. Before he could grab it however, it shot out from the door, instead flying in the opposite direction. The doctor watched as the sword slid into the gauntlet-covered hand of a certain masked man.

"I felt your presence long ago, being," Meta Knight said as he began walking towards him, "Who are you? What are you? Where did you come from?"

The doctor said nothing however, as he instead walked towards Meta Knight. The masked knight held his stance firm however, as he leveled his blade with the doctor's body.

"A man of silent words," Meta Knight commented, "Fine. So be it. I will not hesitate to cut you down either way..." his eyes suddenly started to glow, as his cape turned into wings, "You dare assault this castle on such a day! You will be blessed if one ever reverts you from trophication!"

His wings flapped valiantly, taking off for the doctor at high speeds. The man in black readied himself for battle, raising his fists and steeling his eyes. Meta Knight's golden blade swung near his body; a series of strikes aimed to kill. Every one of those strikes, the doctor was capable of dodging pass, before moving behind the star warrior. One punch, another punch, then a kick, all to Meta Knight's back. The kick knocked him away, but he quickly recoiled. Wings flapping, he darted back, spinning in a circle with his blade out. The golden blade of Galaxia tore through anything and everything in its path, forcing the doctor to flip back. Meta Knight's sword slammed into the earth, planted deep inside.

The doctor approached him, fists cackling with powerful electricity. He was poised to strike, but Meta Knight had another trick up his sleeve. Grasping his cape, he twirled around at sonic speeds, causing a gust of wind to blow in the area. Suddenly vanishing into thin air, the masked soldier suddenly reappeared on the balcony itself, his yellow eyes glaring dead ahead towards the doctor.

"That is strange," he commented, "You look like him, fight like him, but you are not him..." Meta Knight shifted himself, as he once more leveled his blade with the doctor, "Just who – or what – are you?"

The man in black did not reply, instead sending a powerful bolt of lighting flying towards Meta Knight. The star warrior struck the bolt with his blade, sending it flying into another direction. Upon doing so, he was shocked to see himself in the same presence as the doctor. Like a black shadow, he was suddenly in the same area as Meta Knight himself. He pulled back, just barely missing a powerful strike from the man in black. His fist slammed into the stone-laden floor, cracking it with pure might alone.

His eyes quickly latched onto Meta Knight, who suddenly flew forward like a missile, his blade at the ready. He was spinning rapidly, traveling in a snake-like course in an attempt to throw the doctor's aim off. The man in black glared at the attack, his hand delving into his coat. Grabbing upon a white sheet that laid within, he tore it out and swung with all his might. Like a Roy before, a powerful gust of wind flew from his cape. Not only that, but Meta Knight found himself facing the opposite direction.

Crashing into the banister of the balcony, Meta Knight had very little time to react. He flapped his wings to ascend, only to find his escape brought to an end. His foot was grasped upon by the doctor, who quickly pulled him back. Meta Knight spun around, coming face to face with the man and black. And then a series of three punches lodged into his body. Powerful strikes that dazed him, and left him up for attack.

The doctor pulled back, suddenly flaring a yellow color through out his entire body. Then his hand slammed forward, right into Meta Knight's body. He sent a powerful bolt of electricity, surging through Meta Knight's entire body. The blast held him in place, not allowing him to move until every bit was over. The last bolt of electricity triggered a small explosion that sent Meta Knight flying away. He slammed into the wall, while a golden light began to course upon his entire body. He fell over, but not as flesh (or whatever it is Star Warriors are made of), but instead of stone and marble. Trophication had taken over Meta Knight's body.

The now trophified Star Warrior laid on the ground at the doctor's feet, silent to the world. The man in black gave a hard sigh as he settled the tie around his neck. Then the sound of a door opening echoed behind him. He turned slowly to face the entrance to this balcony, eyes falling upon a certain young woman, with long blue hair.

Lucina stared towards the man in black with eyes wide. She had only heard a commotion echoing upstairs, but did not expect to see this. This man standing tall against Meta Knight in trophy form, while fire works echoed behind him.

"What the? Sir Meta Knight?" Lucina whispered, before suddenly her senses were heightened, "You son of a-! I'll get you!"

Quickly she withdrew her blade, rushing towards the man in black at full speeds. He readied himself for battle once more, both fists raised at the ready. Lucina grasped her blade with both hands, pulling it back to ready it for a solid thrusting motion. Her blade was cocked back; she was ready to kill them. And then.

 _KER-POW!_

"Ah!?"

A powerful bolt of lightning struck Lucina in the back, launching her forward. She slammed into the banister of the balcony, bouncing off and falling flat on her back. Before she could even react, the hands of the doctor fell on her chest. She was pulled back, spun around, then thrown full-force into the wall. The second hit was enough to cause a glowing light to appear upon her body.

"No, d-dammit," Lucina grunted as she clawed at her chest, trying to stop the golden aura from taking her, "I can... st-still... f-f-fiiiiiii..."

She couldn't finish her words, as she was suddenly a trophy. The doctor stared down upon Lucina's trophy, taking in heavy breaths after withstanding two successive fights. But who was the one that threw the lightning bolt; for a change, it wasn't him.

"Good thing I was in here when you shot that bolt of lightning so I could catch it," the mischievous and malicious voice of a little girl rang, "What would you have done if I wasn't there, hmm?"

His savior? Morta, of all people. She stood with her pink dress swaying, a smile on her face as she gazed at him with large cute eyes. The doctor said nothing, instead pulling away from the two trophies that laid around him. Brushing roughly pass Morta, he headed for the door in this balcony.

"Haaaa... and I thought I had anger issues..." she commented to herself as she followed behind.

…

Ah, the Hero-King. Did they meet the last time during the Subspace Emissary? It was strange. Between adventuring around with Zelda and even the likes of Snake, Peach couldn't exactly remember. In fact, she didn't even remember ever holding a conversation with him. And yet, she remembered watching him fall besides her, when Tabuu's Off Waves were triggered, and everyone was defeated.

Yes, Marth, the Hero-King. Such an interesting name he had too; a title given to him thanks to his many years of service to his people. But a ruler who fought at the sides of his soldiers. Tales are often woven of such beings – even Zelda could attest to that – but it was a far-off thought to Peach herself. To fight alongside Toads in a battle. Hm...

"I'm happy you all were able to join us here today," Marth said as he took his seat at the head of the table, "I surely do hope you all were accommodated well on your trips here. Um... hm... especially the likes of you, King Dedede and Sir Kirby."

"Where's the food!?"

"Puyyy..."

"Yes, indeed, the food," Marth replied as he put on a gracious smile, "Food and dinner will be served after the talks have been started. So, please, King Dedede, I pray you can wait just a little while longer. Now then..."

Words came from his lips that, really, Peach wasn't really paying that much attention to. As childish as it is to say, she wasn't always the best when it came to these diplomatic meetings. It was mainly Toadsworth who handled everything while she sat idly by.

But Toadsworth wasn't here, and she wasn't paying that much attention to what he had to see. No, the Princess of Toadstools was paying close attention to his overall appearance. The young man known as the Hero-King. He was so tall – easily taller than the men she was used too – he had such nice blue hair, these nice blue eyes, and a more slender frame. It was weird; he was such a pretty boy, as they call them. Honestly, he was quite similar to Link of all people, and yet at the same time, he was completely different. For one thing, he spoke. And his voice was so calm, so stirring, so alluring, it made her smile.

Then he looked at her. Their eyes met; blue on blue. She watched as his lips moved, for he was saying something. She could only watch his lips move up and down. Only to bend into a frown. He stopped saying words, which was assaulting. Why wasn't he saying anything; she wanted to hear his voice.

"Mmph!? Ow! What?" Peach said as she looked over to Zelda, who had jabbed her pretty roughly in the side, "Huh, what? What happened?"

"Marth was asking you a question," Zelda said in an annoyed manner, "And you didn't respond."

"Oh... oh... Oh!"

Her eyes lined the room, as now all eyes were on her. Mostly everyone was either annoyed, confused, or some kind of weird mixture between the two. Mario however, was quite concerned as he raised an eyebrow. All Peach could do was smile, and tried to hide the blush of embarrassment that sat on her face.

"I'm sorry, Marth," she said in a genuine – yet childish – manner, "Could you please repeat what you said earlier? Please?"

"Why... yes.." Marth plied with a sigh, "Um... hm... well... let us see here... hm..." after regaining his composure, he once again put on that heart melting smile of his, "Lady Toadstool, about the Mushroom Kingdom-"

 _CRAAAASSSHHH!_

Glass suddenly fell from above, as two large objects fell upon the debate table. Everyone looked up in unison by the sudden crash and sound, and watched as these objects fell. They were large, made of steel and marble, stone and detail. They were both trophies; trophies depicted the likes of Lucina and Meta Knight.

"What? Lucina!? Sir Meta Knight!?" Marth shouted, while everyone stood up from their seats.

Shortly after, another object fell. It was small and purple, with an 'M' on the face of it. This capsule device bounced two times, before sliding to a complete halt. And then it snapped open.

A blinding light flared out of the orb filling the entire area. Peach covered her eyes as she attempted to protect herself from the glow, gasping as it assaulted her eyes. When the shine ended, her eyes opened up, slowly so. What she saw staring back, were the red cat-like eyes of a beast. It's body was dog-like, while two impressive fangs akin to a saber tooth tiger shot out from its jaw. It's body was yellow, its face grey and blue, and a purple main like thunderclouds flowed from its back.

"Raiiii... Raiiii..." said the Thunder Pokemon, before it slammed down all of its paws at once, "RAAIIIIIIIKKOOOOUUUUU!"

All around Raikou, a powerful lightning storm flowed out. Thunder and lights appeared, sending powerful shocking courses of electricity out in a circle. Everyone in the room were caught off guard, as lightning surged through their bodies. Even Peach herself felt the burning pain flow through her, as she was thrown back.

 _THONK!_

Her head hurt. Like. It hurt _a lot_. Peach found her gaze becoming dazed, as she stared hazily towards Raikou above. Everyone was falling as his electricity flowed through them all. Golden colors stained their bodies, slowly gliding up as they were trophified. Peach reached out, specifically for Zelda, who had turned to stone right besides her.

Her eyes began to close then, and she clutched her chest. Peach could feel a burning glow envelop her, fearing it was trophication. There was nothing she could do.

"No... wait... p-p-please..."

And her eyes closed shut, her body growing silent soon after

Darkness.

Darkness...

 _Lady Toadstool. Lady Toadstool. Lady Toadstool. Princess, please... awaken..._

She did just that.

Princess Peach's blue eyes slowly opened, a low groan escaping her. It was incredibly low; so low, almost she was ignorant of it. She took in a deep breath though, then rolled over onto her back. Upon doing so, she felt her body press up against something cold. Peach looked over, her eyes falling on Zelda. But, no, it wasn't Zelda; it was Zelda's trophy.

"Ahh—mmm!"

Hands had found its way upon her lips, silencing her. Peach began to fret and worry about who it was that could've silenced her, until she slowly looked to her right. Her eyes fell on Marth, who pulled one hand away from her. Placing it to his lips in a line, all he could do was say,

"Shhhhhh..."

Peach merely nodded, as Marth's other hand pulled away from her. He said nothing, instead laying against the floor and growing silent. Peach did likewise, her eyes lining against the ceiling above. She had no idea what was going on, what they were doing, or what had happened. No, she knew what happened, she just didn't know _why_.

"Marth," she whispered, making him go,

"Shhhhh..."

"Ya'know, I thought they would've put on a better fight," a voice rang over the duo. The voice of a mischievous and malicious little girl, "The world's greatest rulers and heroes... dropped like mere flies. No wonder using Raikou was banned."

Peach angled her head slightly, staring up pass the trophies on the ground towards the main table. On the edge of the table sat a girl in pink shirt with a flower imprinted upon it, pink hair, and these large cute eyes. She sat there with axe in hand, smiling ever so dementedly as she rocked slowly from side to side.

"Hmmm... and I thought we'd have a little bit more fun. Such a shame."

"Everything went according to plan," said a mechanical voice next, one that greatly confused Peach, "You should be less willing to enter battle, Morta. We should be pleased our victory went as well as it did. The great heroes of the Subspace Emissary are all dealt with. Those responsible for Tabuu's defeat shall repay their debt."

Peach's eyes shifted again, falling upon a being she had never seen before. A being cloaked in green from head to toe, with various adornments dressing its body. The only detail visible from beneath the hood, appeared to be the being's glowing yellow eyes. It never shifted from Morta, as the being hovered closer to her.

"Marth... what is...?" Peach whispered, before growing silent.

"The Ancient Minister..." he answered in response.

"Where is the doctor? It is time to prepare the Subspace Bomb..." asked the Ancient Minister in his mechanical voice.

"Oh, it shouldn't take him too long," Morta replied as she began to file her nails, "You know him; he's always about the mission."

Not even a few seconds after she said that did the door open up. Peach and Marth's eyes shifted to see a man dressed in a black lab coat. He had blue eyes, brown hair, and a most emotionless visage. Behind him stood a bomb all too familiar to the prince and princess. But Peach was uninterested in that. Instead, she gazed at the man himself.

He wasn't tall like Marth; quite the opposite. This man was short, shorter than her in fact. And it was hard to gauge his body type, thanks to that heavy lab coat he wore. But none of that mattered; this man was incredibly familiar. In fact, he looked just like,

"Mario?"

That was loud, too loud to simply ignore. Marth glared at Peach with eyes wide, shocked that she couldn't keep her voice in check. She too covered her mouth in shock, scolding herself mentally for breaking their cover.

It was too late; Morta, the Ancient Minister, and the doctor's eyes befell Peach and Marth's position, as they laid on the floor. The doctor moved first, throwing trophies out of the way as he approached them dangerously. Pulling her nail filer in, Morta instead pulled out her axe, and leaped in the air. Seconds after, the doctor did likewise, jumping up with his fist cackling with electricity.

Marth readied himself to strike, his hand falling upon the hilt of his blade. To his surprise however, a glowing light suddenly appeared right beneath his feet. Both Morta and the doctor noticed this same thing, but by this point in time, it was too late.

 _SHEEEEENNNNN! WAAAAAAAAHHHHH!_

A powerful light roared from beneath Peach and Marth's feet, blowing the doctor and Morta away. The glow was strong, emanating sparkles that danced around their bodies. Marth gazed around to the rainbow like colors that howled around him, wondering who or what brought this on. When he turned around, his eyes befell Peach. She stood tall with her hand in the air, her hair bouncing, her eyes closed in concentration. As he watched the sparkles flow from her body, he realized it was she who caused this glow, and nothing else.

Then it died out, dropping her to her knees. She was breathing heavily after such a move, the sparkles on her body fading.

"Affuuuu... I... I think I expelled a bit too much power there," the princess claimed, as she felt weak in her entire body.

 _BEEEWWW!_

Twin beams of light suddenly shot towards a defenseless Peach, who merely watched them approach her quickly. Everything seemingly moved in slow motion, as she watched her sure to be demise. Before she could be stricken however, a hand found its way around her waist. She was pulled away, while a blade effortless deflected the beams, and sent them into the wall. The blade belonging to a certain Hero-King.

Marth stood with Peach in one hand and the Falchion in the other, clutching the Princess close by her waist. His face was hard, glaring towards the trio of foes he had in his midst. The doctor landed right before the meeting hall table, with Morta landing on it herself. The Ancient Minister hovered above, his glowing yellow eyes steaming with heat. Instead of blasting at the duo again, he turned to move towards the Subspace Bomb itself.

"See to it that you end them," he said with his mechanical voice, "I shall activate the bomb."

"What? No!" Marth shouted as he moved to stop him, only for the doctor to move in his way. Turning the opposite way only faced him with Morta, making Marth realize he was pinned, "Alright... stand behind me, Lady Peach, I'll deal with them."

"No, no, no," Peach said as she pulled away from him, quickly taking stand by herself, "I can fight too, ya'know..."

"But I just thought... I mean... what with the shine and your tendency to be-"

"What? Kidnapped by Bowser!?" she snapped back, "I take offense to that, ya'know! No one ever brings up the one time I saved Mario!"

"Actually, Lucina did once," Marth replied, "She said you ended up crying throughout all of it."

"Hey! Lovers!" Morta shouted with fists on her hips, "Are you two just gonna sit there and argue, or are we going to get to the fun stuff!?"

"Lovers!?" both Marth and Peach shouted in unison, before looking at one another at the same time, "We are not lovers!" they once more shouted together.

The doctor didn't care as he shook his head, fists cackling with electricity. He approached them, battle ready, causing Marth to snap his eyes upon the doctor. His blade was readied upon him, while his eyes slid into a stronger squint and glare.

"Who are you?" Marth inquired, "You look like Sir Mario, but you are not him!" he looked to the floor, seeing the plumber in trophy form on the ground, "The real Mario is on the ground! What does that make you!? Some evil demon?"

"Say what? Your name is Mario, doctor?" Morta claimed, before putting her hand to her mouth and laughing, "Oh, hohohohohoho! That is rich! For all the time I knew you, I only called you 'doctor'! So, what, is your name Doctor Mario?" the doctor glared at her heavily, only bringing about more laughter, "Oh-hohohohohohoh! It is! It is Doctor Mario, isn't it? Oh-hohohohoho!" _BLONK!_ "Ah!?"

Out of nowhere, a turnip with a smiley face on it suddenly struck Morta dead in the head. She was thrown off the table by the tossed vegetable, while Marth and the doctor – well, Doctor _Mario_ – gazed at Peach out of shock.

"Sorry," said the Princess of Toadstools, "She was really getting on my nerves with her voice..."

"Duly noted," the Hero-King said as she glared at Dr. Mario, "I shall deal with our prescriber!"

He dashed for his foe, blowing away from Peach with a shocking display of speed. The wind flowed along his body, his cape ruffling with his rush. Wielding the mighty blade Falchion in hand, he rapidly advanced upon the doctor he faced. A master swordsman, Marth knew a thing or two about distance and space. Battling in wars will teach one, whether one wishes to learn it or not. There's no space for mistakes on the battlefield.

To his surprise, Dr. Mario was just as skilled on his feet as he was. His blade swung with just the tip – the most deadly spot – towards the prescriber's body, only to barely miss as the doctor pulled back. He then launched forward, with a blast of electricity. Marth pulled in with his sword at the ready, defending against the attack with little time to spare. His sword took the blunt of the electrical blast, while he countered with a swing of his blade. To his surprise, the Falchion was caught within the white sheet belonging to the doctor he faced. Said sheet should have been torn to shreds by the mighty power of the Falchion, but some magical property existed within it.

Dr. Mario yanked Marth forward with his sheet, bringing the Hero-King into his reign, whether he wanted to or not. But Marth wasn't out of tricks or surprises. As he was brought in, he skillfully leaped, his foot slamming down on the doctor's chest. With just as much skill and finesse, he kicked off of Dr. Mario's chest and face, pushing him back with the twin attacks.

Dr. Mario gripped his chest, whilst pulling back his sheet. Marth stepped back as well, grasping tightly upon the hilt of the Falchion.

"You're not too bad," said the Hero-King, as he sized up his opponent, "I take it was you who defeated Lucina and turned her into a trophy?" Dr. Mario merely nodded, making Marth do the same, "I see... Lucina is an amazing sword fighter; almost as good as yours truly," he brushed blue hair from his face, whilst glaring at his foe, "However, her entire fighting style is modeled after my own. Let us see how well you do against the original Falchion wielder!"

Dr. Mario didn't say a word, he merely ran towards Marth without a hint or inclination of fear in his mind. Meanwhile – in midair – a certain Princess spun with her arms out. She did so quickly, as if summoning a gust of wind with her spinning action. She struck Morta, sending her back flying back. She crashed into the wall in the room, falling down with an annoyed glare on her face. Once more she lifted her axe, whilst glaring dead-ahead towards Peach.

"What the hell?" she replied, "I could've sworn you were a weakling! Don't you get kidnapped often!?"

"That's every other week!" Peach shouted back.

Morta didn't care, as she grasped her axe with both hands roughly. Despite her small and childish nature, she wielded the axe with skill. She spun it around in her small, cute hands, before swinging it towards Peach with the blade end. The Princess of Toadstools sidestepped the strike, while Morta's blade slammed into the earth. So strong was her strike, the blade got lodged into the earth, making Morta pull on it in an attempt to wretch it out. Instead, she was kicked in the face by Peach, who balanced on one foot with ballerina-like grace.

"Ow, ow, owie!" Morta groaned in pain as she rubbed her forehead. Before she could do anything, she was grabbed off the floor and pulled up into Peach's hands. Morta's large eyes gazed into Peach's blue eyes, blue eyes filled with anger.

"Like, for real!" Morta claimed as she thrashed about in an attempt to get out of Peach's grasp, "I thought you were a weakling! What are you doing like this? Like, how do you produce sparkles like you do? How do you pull vegetables out of thin-air like you do? All the data I had on you is just..."

"Hmmm-hmmm!" Peach giggled, making Morta raise an eyebrow.

"What... what's so funny?"

"It doesn't take much to Smash," she pulled her hand back, "As so!"

 _SMACK!_

Peach's hand struck across Morta's face, sending her flying back and crashing into the table again. Unable to keep fighting, the pink-haired girl merely fell down in an attempt to catch her breath. Calmly, Peach waltzed up to Morta, once again grabbing her and pulling her up. This time, she glared at her foe as sparkles emanated from her entire person. _Dangerous_ sparkles; ones that held a high level of painful intent.

"Now, tell me who you are, and why you attacked this place!" Peach yelled, which only served to make Morta laugh.

"Ahaahhh! You... you look so cute when you're trying to be threatening!" Morta commented, which only made Peach flinch, "You don't have to hide it, Princess. You're a good fighting – surprise of all surprise – but the whole threatening thing just doesn't lend itself well to a girl like you. Ya'know, the prissy blonde hair and pink garbs... really just makes you feel... well... _pathetic_ , really! Like, a girl trying to act all big and bad! Oh-hohohohoho! I can't take it anymore! You're killing me!"

"H-hey! Shut up!" Peach shouted as stomped her foot down, "I'm not messing around here! I will hurt you!"

"And I'll hurt you back," Morta replied as her laughter suddenly died, though she held a powerful grin on her lips, "You and I can agree on one thing!" _BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_ "It really doesn't take much to Smash!"

Peach's eyes grew wide, as that ominous beeping grew in size and numbers. She looked around, checking the ground around her. There were mines all around her, making the princess' hold on Morta grow lax. The pink she-devil quickly escaped the princess then, while Peach merely gazed around to the myriad of bombs she found herself in the center of. Paralyzed with fear, she really had no idea what – if anything – she could do.

"M-Marth!" she called.

"Wh-what? Lady Toadstool!" Marth called as he gazed at her, and the mines placed around her, "Agh! Vile fiends!"

His hand laid on Dr. Mario's collar, holding the prescriber in place. The mad doctor attempted to shock him with his abilities, but was quickly thrown away before he could do such an action. Instead of continuing his attack however, Marth faced Peach instead. Grasping the Falchion by the hilt, he pulled back, and then thrust forward. Upon doing so, a powerful gust of wind flowed from the blade, brushing against Peach. It tossed away the bombs and mines that sat on and around her body, instead throwing it on Morta. The pink-haired girl _was_ standing calmly some feet away, but no longer, as all these bombs sat on her position. And after being agitated by Marth's gust, they all began to beep rapidly; representing detonation.

"Oh... dammit..."

 _KA-BOOOM!_

The room shook and quaked, as sound and debris roared out in random directions. Peach ducked down and covered her head at the sound, as flames and smog covered the area where Morta once stood. When the explosions were over, rolling out from the area of detonation was a trophy. Said trophy depicted a pink she-devil, with her axe at the ready.

Peach remained in her huddled appearance, not sure if the explosion was over or not. However, the calming touch of a slender hand caused her to open her eyes. She stared up to a young man with moonlight blue hair, and a calming smile on his face. With his gentle touch, he pulled her up onto her feet, and gave a kindhearted, warm chuckle.

"Lady Toadstool, are you alright?" Marth asked, showing genuine concern for her.

And when he said that, there was something Peach felt. Something that, she hadn't really felt before. Something that made her go-

"Ow... I mean... yeah," she placed a hand upon her heart and smiled back, "I'm fine..."

 _BA-DUM!_

Peach and Marth gazed to the debate table in the chamber, where Dr. Mario stood. The doctor cracked his knuckles dauntingly, emitting tiny sparks of electricity. Upon seeing him, Marth pulled up the Falchion and readied it.

"Now, if you don't mind, Lady Toadstool," Marth said as he pulled away from her, "I have to finish him..."

"Uwaah, Marth," she said as he pulled him a bit, "Just... be careful. He... he looks like Mario but-"

"He's not Mario," Marth finished.

Jumping onto the table, Marth readied the Falchion. Dr. Mario showed no fear of the blade as he continued his approach. At the same time, Marth walked against him. His blade glowed a blue color, taking on a form he had never seen before. Staring down upon it, he merely shrugged, as he swung towards the dark prescriber. Dr. Mario juked back and dodged the strike, before thrusting forward with a punch of his own. Like a blue blur, Marth stepped past the punch, before countering with a downward slash along Dr. Mario's body. However, the man in black quickly pulled out his magical white sheet. The clothe wrapped itself around his arm, giving him the perfect defense against Marth's glowing blade. His sword slammed down upon Dr. Mario's arm, but the white sheet once again stopped it from injuring him.

"Ahhh! Your sheet!" Marth growled, "It's... surprisingly strong! Just... what is it?"

Unable to fight the other off, both Marth and Dr. Mario pulled away from one another. The duo were breathing hard, as their battle was surprisingly equal on most parts. However, neither side was willing to give up fighting just yet. They readied themselves for battle once more, only for a loud ticking noise to echo out. Marth quickly pulled back, though he held his blade level with the doctor before him.

"All of your actions have been for nothing. Unfortunately, it is already too late."

The mechanical voice froze Peach's heart, making her clutch it. From the entrance, the Ancient Minister flew in with his yellow eyes glowing. He glared down upon Marth and Peach, while Dr. Mario made way for Morta's trophy.

"All of your fighting has only served to waste your time," said the Ancient Minister, as he descended in height to be slightly above the prince and princess, "Though, you two were doomed from the very start."

"What are you talking about?" Marth asked as he pointed his blade at the Ancient Minister.

"Observe..."

Flying above, he revealed the entrance to the room once more. From the entryway, there laid an object of pure nightmares. It was oval in shape; spherical on both ends, with a tube at the very end. Within said tube laid electricity that parsed, and a small sphere in the very center. There was a timer beneath this small sphere. There were only fifty seconds left.

"What? But? A... a... Subspace Bomb?" Peach whispered, as she and Marth gazed upon it with absolute horror, "But I thought they were-"

"All gone?" said the Ancient Minister.

"As well as you!" Marth shouted, "You were destroyed along with the Isle of the Ancients! R.O.B.! What is the meaning of this nonsense!?"

"The one you know as 'R.O.B.' is _not_ who I am," said the Ancient Minister, surprising the Hero-King, "I am – and always will be – the Ancient Minister. I recommend you and Princess Peach enjoy your moments of consciousness. It won't be too long before you two become trophies."

Their eyes fell upon the bomb again, where the time-limit had decreased. Instead of fifty seconds, the prince and princess only had about forty or so seconds left to make their escape. _If_ they could escape, that is.

"Blast it," Marth grumbled, "Lady Toadstool! Follow me!"

Sheathing his blade Marth quickly ran in the opposite direction of the Subspace Bomb. Peach stared at it and the ticking numbers, before trailing her eyes over to Dr. Mario. He stared back at her. They both did nothing; they only stared.

"Mario..." she whispered.

"Lady Toadstool! We can't waste time!" Marth's voice rang.

Peach began walking backwards, though her eyes staid on Dr. Mario. Then she grabbed her dress by the top, lifting it up slightly to give herself more mobility. Running behind Marth (which is not an easy task mind you, because he's fast as all hell), Peach found herself coming to the balcony Marth stood on just earlier that evening. Their time limit was surely waning now; perhaps around the lower-twenties, high-teens.

"I pray this works," said the Hero-King, as he placed his hands around his mouth like a makeshift horn, "WARP STAR!"

He grew silent shortly after, looking up to the starry heavens above. Both he and Peach could only stare, as their time was constantly diminishing. The Princess of Toadstools even began to fret, believing their fates to be sealed. But before she could voice her displeasure, one star in the skies began to shake. It fell, emitting sparkles from the heavens as it did so. This star grew in size at it got closer and closer and closer, revealing itself to be a yellow color. Eventually, the two found themselves in the presence of a hovering, yellow, star-shaped object. It glittered and glowed, as well as burned with life.

Marth boarded upon the small star, struggling to keep balance as he stood upon it. Turning around, he reached his hand out to an awe-struck Peach.

"A Warp Star," she said as she grabbed his hand, "Like the ones Kirby rides?"

"What's wrong, Lady Toadstool?" Marth asked with a smirk "Haven't you ridden one before? Please don't tell me you're scared!"

"Scared? I deal with Bowser on a regular basis! But even I find poor driving to be a nightmare!"

Daintily, Peach boarded the Warp Star alongside Marth. However – as she felt considerable fear when it came to riding these things – she held tightly upon Marth's body. He tried to wedge her off just a bit, but eventually relented to her tight hold. Instead, he found as much balance on the star as he could, using mental images of Kirby as a reference.

"Alright... I hope this works..." he whispered to himself, before pushing forward just a bit. His response was a bit too much.

 _THOOOOOOM!_

"AHHHHH!?"

"TOO FAST!"

The Warp Star – like all Warp Stars – took off at speeds that would make Sonic blush. Marth and Peach were nearly blown off by the speedy object as they flew over Millennium Court and the land of Archanea. Marth – quickly realizing what he was doing wrong – was capable of slowing the Warp Star enough for them to catch their breaths. He remained focus on escaping his castle, while Peach gazed down.

Everyone at Millennium Court – _everyone_ – had become trophies. The Ancient Minister, Dr. Mario, and Morta must have attacked them while they were unconscious; that was the only way they could have done this without them knowing. It was a horrifying sight; as if a silent war had been performed without them being none the wiser. And even worse – thanks to the Subspace Bomb – there was absolutely _nothing_ Peach and Marth could do about it.

"No..." she whispered, "Please... stop..."

Her hand reached out for Marth's kingdom, and the silent denizens who peppered it below. In their would – the world of Trophium – trophication is pretty much _death_.

And then, a light gleamed within the heart of Marth's castle. It sounded as if all oxygen itself was being sucked into the castle walls. It shook even Marth and Peach as they road the Warp Star, before all of gravity ceased its pull on them. The next instant, a wicked explosion of an otherworldly kind ripped through Millennium Castle. A massive dark orb began to expand, an orb Peach and Marth knew all too well.

A pocket of Subspace – a gateway into that demonic realm – had been opened. For so long, this image only existed within their memories, and their nightmares. And yet – once again in their lives – it had become all too real.

Peach stared to the bubble of Subspace with a mixture of grief and horror. She felt helpless as well; what could she do in a situation like this? But at least she had the Mushroom kingdom to return to; this was Millennium Court, the heart of the Archenea kingdom. Marth's _home_.

She stared up to him, noticing something trailing down the side of Marth's face. From this height, she noticed it was gleaming thanks to the light of the Warp Star beneath their feat.

"Marth..."

"Hey, Lady Toadstool, are you alright?" Marth said as he faced her, putting on a smile, "We barely escaped... I'd hate to see if you had fainted."

Despite all that had happened, their friends becoming trophified, facing the Ancient Minister and his forces, and everyone at Millennium Court being trophies, Peach found herself smiling too.

"I don't think I'd faint before you, pretty boy," she replied, which made him chuckle. And ya'know what? She laughed too.

They both needed a laugh after what had happened.

* * *

 _Maverick Talks!_

 _You know, I'm pretty sure I said this before, but it begs to be repeated. I've already written a fair amount of chapters for this story, so updates should be quick. Assuming, of course, I actually remember to update it, because in reality, I'm a lazy, short-minded fool sometimes._

 _Anyway, the next chapter of Shadows of Subspace. Last chapter, someone said they thought Morta was an oc I made for this story. In a way, she is, but only to an extent. Morta is actually a character in SSB4. Come on. Pink hair. Pink clothes. Uses an axe. Can pull things out of thin air. Sounds familiar, don't it? Who is this character? Well, I won't say. Not for now, anyway._

 _I really like this chapter. It has quite a bit of battles in it. Meta Knight vs Dr. Mario. Marth and Peach vs Dr. Mario and Morta. It feels cool to write about these characters, as oppose to whom I usually write about. I hope these characters feel in character, should I say. Writing Peach is easy, because I've played almost every Mario game under the sun, but Marth is a tad bit harder. I just hope I have the Hero-King all complete._

 _And, I suppose, that's all I can say about the situation. Next time when we meet, Marth and Peach begin their journey to save their friends. But before they do so, they'll need a little help. Help from whom? Well, you'll see._

 _Now then... when will we get Smash on the Switch?_

 _Maverick Kay Prime_


	3. Rouge Leaders

Rouge Leaders

The orb pulsated. Such a disgusting sight. A giant bubble of darkness that constantly swirled. Black and purple, white every now and then, but mainly darkness. It was a silent – yet dominating – monstrosity. It could only exist within the thoughts and dreams of a madman. A gateway this bubble was into the mind of insanity itself.

And yet, something appeared at the edge of the bubble. Light burned, as a hand appeared within. Said hand stretched out from the bubble, as an arm flowed out as well. Said arm belonged to a body, a body of a man. A man dressed in black, with a red tie, and a stethoscope hanging from his neck.

Dr. Mario appeared as he pulled himself out of the Subspace bubble, his eyes glaring about. He combed the immediate lands in front of him, seeing nothing but a dusty, worn out field. He nodded at the sight, before light appeared behind him again. This time, the being who pulled out was that of a young girl with pink hair, and large shimmering eyes.

"Well, well, well, would ya look at that," Morta said as she looked left and right, "Looks like our prince and princess aren't here... hm..."

Dr. Mario said nothing as he merely began walking off into the distance, ready to put an end to the troubles they were sure to have. Morta opened her mouth to say something, but in a moment of clarity, decided not to. She merely shrugged her shoulders and followed.

The morning sun was lingering overhead. A sandstorm was brewing.

…

"Ooooohhhohoooo... owie oww... my head..."

Princess Peach pulled up, eyes on the ground before her. Just moments ago she had face-planted into the ground, and it showed. The usual beautiful princess had her face marred with dirt and grass. Her hair was all ruined, pain ran through her body, and her dress was in rags. This is why one does not fly a Warp Star, unless he or she is Kirby. The darn things are nearly impossible to land.

"Marth? Marth?" Peach called as she pulled up, sitting upon her knees, "Marth, where are you? Ah?"

She found Marth, frozen in place and made of marble and stone. The Princess of Toadstools fretted as she saw him in such a position, and scurried over to him quickly. Gazing down upon him in his frozen glory, Peach bit upon her bottom lip. Then her hand struck the base of his trophy, causing a golden shine to appear at the base. Said shine began to cover more and more of Marth's body, changing stone to flesh. When she heard him gasp for breath, a smile took over her.

"Marth, are you alright?" Peach asked as he grunted with pain.

"Y-yes, Lady Toadstool," he replied with a smile and a nod of his head, "Yes, I'm fine, I'm- urgh!"

"Marth!?"

He doubled over in pain, clinching at his chest as he groveled on the floor. Peach watched him curl in slightly, as pain took over his body. She felt fine after their impact, but it looked as if the crash was far worse for him than it was for her. After all, she was merely knocked unconscious; he was turned back into a trophy.

Peach placed her hand upon his chest, slowly guiding him onto his back. He looked up to her with a face of surprise, while the princess merely stroked some blonde hair from her face.

"Just hold still," Peach said, as she placed her hands on his chest, "And give me a second..."

Sparkles began to emanate from Peach's hands as she held them upon Marth's chest, with him staring back with an eyebrow raised. He held his hands upon hers, whilst a calming swath flowed over his body. Peach held her breath as her powers of light refined his body, making the Hero-King groan with a certain kind of pleasure.

"Lady Toadstool," Marth whispered, making Peach smile and wink at him.

"Please, Marth," she replied, "Call me Peach."

He merely nodded, before Peach pulled her hands back. Marth gazed down to his body, the pain he once felt no longer there. Peach pulled back her hands as she took in a deep breath, some loose sparkles shining from her body.

"Better?" she asked sweetly.

"Better..." he replied, with a smile no less.

"Fuuuuu..."

Peach fell back on her butt, then grasped at her own body as she shimmered a bit. Healing Marth took a lot out of her, it would seem, as all she could do was shiver whilst rubbing herself. Until a blue cape flowed over her body like a jacket, giving warmth to the Princess of Toadstools. She looked over to Marth who sat besides her with his cape removed, now sitting in only the basic cloth of his Lord uniform.

"Thank you for your help... Lady Toadstool," he said as he gently rubbed her shoulders, "It seems doing what you did took a bit out of you."

"It always does," she said, before frowning, "Now what, Marth?"

He turned around and looked back, where the orb of Subspace could be seen in the far, far distance. They made quite a bit of space between themselves and what used to be Millennium Court, but the size of that Subspace bubble made it near impossible to not notice the sight.

Marth stood up and placed his hands on his hips, his face one of inquisition. There wasn't much they could do in this situation but stare. Stare and think about the events handed to them. All of their friends and allies now laid within Subspace, confided to their trophy forms. There wasn't much – if anything – they could do. Peach and Marth appeared to be in the same boat as well; unable to do anything about their situation.

Marth turned around so suddenly, walking off in the distance opposite the Millennium Court. Peach was taken off guard by his sudden movements, not sure of where he was going. Standing up, she walked in chase of him, his cape and her dress flowing with her steps.

"M-Marth, where are you going? Where are we going?" she asked as they trailed off for unknown directions.

"I'm taking you back to the Mushroom Kingdom," Marth claimed, making Peach grow wide in the eyes.

"Wh-what? Why?" she asked as she ran to his face, making him stop in place.

"This is not a fight for woman like you, Lady Toadstool," Marth claimed, "You have your own kingdom to look after; I cannot bring you into the affairs that belong to Archanea."

"'Affairs that belong to Archanea'!?" Peach repeated with eyes wide, "What are you talking about!? My friends and some of my subjects were just turned to trophies out there! I think this is more than just the affairs of Archanea!" she grew silent, while her sparkles bounced erratically, "I'm not going back to the Mushroom Kingdom. Not until we get that bubble out of here, and bring everyone back!"

"Lady Toadstool," he said, before brushing blue hair out of his face, "I do believe this may be a bit beyond your pay grade. I wish I could say this was my first time where such a thing happened..." he grew silent briefly, "But it's not..."

"What... what are you talking about?" Peach asked.

"It... it doesn't matter," he replied, "Lady Toadstool, please allow me to bring you back to the Mushroom Kingdom. I cannot have you on my consciousness right now."

"What!? You can't have me on your consciousness? What does that even mean?" Peach asked as she was positively fuming now. Literally. As her rage spiked, flames flowed from her hands and feet, "I don't know what you know about me 'Hero-King' but I think I've already proven more than enough times that I'm not some simple damsel in distress..." she stopped briefly to think about her situation, "Bar in mind those times where I did play damsel in distress. After helping you fight off Morta and..." she couldn't say his name, "I understand your need to be chivalrous – believe me I do – but I'm more than just some princess! I think I've proven myself more than capable enough of helping you out."

"Lady Toadstool..."

"It's Peach! Just Peach!" the pink princess replied before crossing her arms and sulking, "Only... only one person ever called me 'Lady Toadstool'..." she stared back to him, "Marth, I'm not going back to the Mushroom Kingdom. Not until that," she pointed at the Subspace bubble, "Is out, and all of our friends are okay again."

Marth opened his mouth to say something, but simply couldn't. Instead, he just looked at Peach. His blue eyes stared into that puffy face of rage, and the flames that burned within her emotional eyes. As he watched Peach clutch to his cape, he found her looking oddly familiar. There was something about the pink princess that caused memories to stir. He could see someone in his mind but it came back as muddled.

Whatever the case may be – as confusing as it is – Marth just couldn't keep up the argument anymore. He merely nodded, relenting to Peach's wishes.

"You are right, Lady Toastool," he said with nod, "Perhaps... I was being a tad bit too emotional with the situation we've been placed in, and was making foolish decisions..." he shook his head, "It would be downright stupid of me to send away an ally of your status... for that, could you forgive me?"

Peach's flames calmed down as her rage turned into docility. She nodded, then put on a smile. A smile that felt like sunlight to Marth.

"Um... thank you," she said as she calmed down, "Uh... sorry for getting all in your face like I did... I didn't mean to... can you forgive me as well?"

"How could I not forgive you, Lady Toadstool?" he asked, "After all, it was my doing that you acted that way..." he took in a deep breath, "Though we are still – how you say? - up a creak without a paddle? Fortunately, I've been in a position such as this before..."

"Then what do we do, ole great Hero-King?" Peach asked in a slightly sarcastic manner, one that made Marth laugh.

"We amass an army, Lady Toadstool," he replied, "We can't sit around twiddling our thumbs in defeat... I've already done something like that in my life, and I don't plan on doing it again..." he took in a deep breath, "Well then, shall we?"

"Where are we going?" Peach asked.

"Not everyone vital in the downfall of Tabuu was at the meeting," Marth claimed as he began walking off, "The likes of Ike, Lucas, Ness, even Sonic and more weren't at the meeting. If we plan on attacking, well need as many forces to aid us."

"Well, what do you have in mind?" Peach asked.

"Ike was on his way here earlier. Perhaps we'll run into him. On the other hand, let us make way for the King of Evil's domain."

"King of Evil's domain? You... you mean Ganondorf, don't you?"

"Indeed, Lady Toadstool," Marth replied, "While I never counted him among my league of allies, it would be foolish of me to not consider it. Ganondorf is a very powerful man, and would bolster our units if we sway him to our side... as... hard as that sounds."

"I guess we don't have much of a choice," Peach said as she nodded, "Alright... lead the way, Hero-King."

He nodded and took head point, walking now through the dusty deserts with Peach behind him. Having extensive knowledge of the lands around within and including around Archanea, Marth knew a thing or two about making way through the world of Triophium. Peach merely blushed, as she barely knew that much of the lands outside of the Mushroom Kingdom. Good thing she did have Marth here to lead the way.

…

Dr. Mario suddenly came to a halt, his eyes gazing up. Morta ran into his back, immediately letting out loose curses as she did so.

"What the hell, Dr. Mario!" she yelled, "What are you doing?"

As usual, he said nothing, merely glaring towards his partner. Morta didn't utter a word, instead getting a hint through the doctor's body language alone. Their targets were near. Smiling mischievously, Morta's hand slid into her pockets, before procuring another item. It was as sealed container of some sort. Golden at the bottom, glass at the top, and a being of darkness swirling within, with bright glowing eyes.

"I chose this one just for our little couple," Morta claimed, "I'm pretty sure it won't take her long to destroy them. Then we take their trophies and go home, right?" Dr. Mario nodded, "Right! Now then, let's go!" object in hand, Morta lifted it up high, "Go! Dark Samus!"

The glass sealing the container suddenly began to quake, as the entire object shook. Without a moment's hesitation, the glass as a whole snapped open, breaking apart and unleashing the being that laid within.

The Assist Trophy had been activated.

…

"So, your sparkles, Lady Toadstool, where do they come from?"

"Huh? My sparkles?"

Peach rose her skirt daintily and modestly, her blue eyes staring down. The earth had become so muddy and marshy as of late, which only confused the blonde. One moment they were trailing the deserts the next she needed to pay attention to their footing. It didn't bother Marth any; in his Lord garbs, he wore boots. Peach however wore dainty slippers, as becoming of a princess such as herself.

"My sparkles," the pink princess said as she walked along the more solid patches of earth, "I've always had them, really. I... I think they come from my mother, actually. My mother – Queen Toadstool – was the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom before I was. She took care of all the administrative duties until she died..."

"Oh... I'm sorry to hear that, Lady Toadstool."

"It's alright," Peach said with a shrug, "I... I didn't really know my mother all that well. I was raised mainly by Toadsworth. My mother and my father were always too busy to really tend to me."

"Where is your father?"

"Hm... probably back home. My dad and I don't really talk much and... most people often forget he exists. I'm not called 'Princess Peach' because I want to. My father is still alive and is still technically the king, he just doesn't really do much of anything. I'm the one doing all the work. Perhaps when my father finally passes I'll become Queen Peach, but for now..."

"Queen Peach... ha ha!"

"Hey! What's so funny about that?"

"Nothing, Lady Toadstool," he replied, "It's just that... well... Princess Peach fits you far better than Queen Peach does. Even if your father does pass and leave full power of the kingdom to you," he looked over to her, "I think you should keep the tittle 'Princess' it fits you far too well."

"I don't know if I should take that as an insult or not," Peach replied with a smirk, "But since I do so love to be called 'Princess' I suppose it cannot be helped, hm? What about you, Hero-King? I've done a good job studying extensively on multiple lands in the Mushroom Kingdom and Hyrule, but I'm afraid I don't know much about you or the land of Archanea, for that matter. Like..." she stared down to his waist, "What of your sword? What's it called again?"

"Falchion?" Marth replied as he looked down to his waist, "Hm... The Falchion was formed over a thousand years ago by the Divine Dragon Naga, in order for mankind to protect itself from any rogue evil dragons that may threaten the land. It's been passed down through my people and my family for years and years... it's believed only the blood of my ancestor, Anri, can wield it."

"Doesn't Lucina wield it too?" Peach asked as she raised an eyebrow, "In fact... you and Lucina share a lot of familiar attributes... even your hand gestures are the same."

"Well I wouldn't say that!" Marth claimed as he blushed, "We don't have _that_ much in common! J-just what do you think Lucina is to me, exactly?"

"Well... I was beginning to think Lucina was your sister or perhaps..." she looked off, "I mean, you two are always in the same area as one another. It's nearly impossible to see one without the other. I was beginning to think that you two were together... "

"ACGHK!? TOGETHER!?" Marth shouted as he nearly choked on his own spit, "Please, Lady Toadstool, do not say that in any company ever again! Lucina is not my sister, and we are definitely – in no way – in any sort of relationship at all!"

"Do you have a special someone in your life, Marth?" Peach asked, as he calmed down.

"Do I have a special someone in my life?" he repeated as he looked over his shoulder towards her, "Um..." he looked off, "No, Lady Toadstool, no... I... I do not have anyone in my life that's important to me. Not in _that_ way, anyway."

"Oh... that's uh..." Peach looked away, where a small – almost impossible to notice – smile crept up upon her lips, "That's sad to hear..."

 _Grrrrrgggggllll..._

"What was that?" Marth asked, eyebrow raised.

 _Grrrrrrrrgggggllll!_

"That was even louder this time," Marth said, before Peach walked ahead of him.

"Hold still," she said.

Removing the glove that sat on her hand, Peach caused sparkles to emanate from her limb. From side to side, she Princess waved her limb. A rainbow of sparkles was produced by Peach's actions, and she read it accordingly. Marth had no idea what she was doing, but Peach seemed to. Her face was one of determination, as she sought something Marth could not see.

"Lady Toadstool," Marth said as he approached her, "What are you doing?"

Her eyes went wide.

"Ah-ha!? Marth, look out!"

Before he could react, Peach struck him with her rump. Quite a surprising strike too, as an explosion of hearts echoed out from the impact. He was thrown back, falling onto his back while the earth before them suddenly erupted. Dirt, mud, and gravel were all thrown sky-high, as a dark being covered the void. Peach and Marth gazed to the heavens together, as a demon of death descended to be with them.

It owned the figure of a respected ally, a warrior who had fought besides them in fact. However, this being was more along the lines of a demon in Ganon's army, or from the gates of hell itself. It was a dark color, with shimmering lights of blue running through its body. It's visor held no eyes on the other end, just the visage of a demonic being.

Dark Samus hovered above a shocked and confused Peach and Marth, as neither side knew where this being came from. A torrent of dark energy surrounded the arm cannon belonging to Dark Samus, forming a large orb of dark energy. Said orb aimed directly for Peach herself.

"Peach lookout!" Marth shouted as he threw Falchion directly towards Dark Samus.

The blade slashed through Dark Samus' shoulder, causing her aim to jerk wildly. Instead of blasting Peach full of Phazon, her blast slammed into the ground. A wicked explosion roared out, one that sent debris flying and made Peach flinch. Instead of continuing his assault on the pink princess, Dark Samus shifted her attentions to the now defenseless Marth. He glared back with gritted teeth, only to glance down to the Falchion which laid just below. It was stabbed into the ground after Marth threw it,

Without a word, he dashed for the blade which laid in the ground, his amazing speeds allowed him to clear a large distance in a short amount of time. However, against an opponent who can fly, that ability was made rather mute. Dark Samus flew down in chase towards Marth, firing a spray of blasts towards him as she did so. Marth darted left and right as he dodged her blasts, before finding his movements eerily canceled. He stared to his back, where a beam of energy laid upon him. A beam of energy that connected directly to Dark Samus herself.

With a yank, Marth was pulled into the air, his attempts to grasp the Falchion failing miserably. Dark Samus twirled him about like a yo-yo, Marth failing to keep his ups and downs on his mind. After a few more twirls, Dark Samus was just about ready to throw Marth in to the ground. She wheeled him back, and then-

 _THONK!_

A shimmering object struck the faux-Samus in the side of her head, causing her beam of power to vanish in thin air, and for Marth to drop. Before he could fall however, he felt himself being held up in the air, more specifically around the back of his clothing.

Marth looked up, his eyes falling upon Peach. She was not only holding onto him, but also upon her own umbrella. The umbrella appeared to have a magical property, as it was perfectly capable of holding both of their combine weights with no problem. And, just like Peach herself, the umbrella emitted multiple sparkles.

The blonde looked down to Marth with a smile on her face as they slowly and safely descended to the ground. When they touched down, she laid her umbrella to the side of her body, while her hand rubbed against his face.

"Are you okay?" she asked, to which Marth nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied, "Thank you, Lady Toadstool. Without your aid, I'd probably be a trophy right now."

 _BOOM! BOOM! THOOM! THOOM!_

Two shots echoed around their bodies, causing the two to jump. Glancing into the distance, Peach and Marth's eyes befell Dark Samus. She was on ground level now, and was walking towards them. The first two blasts were mere warning shots; now she was aiming to kill. Peach put herself between Dark Samus and Marth, her umbrella still leaning against her shoulder. Dark Samus was walking towards her in a daunting manner, her blaster trained on the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom.

"Marth," she said, alerting him, "You might want to get your sword."

"Are you sure, Lady Toadstool?" he asked of her, to which she nodded.

"I think I can hold her off just a tiny bit," Peach said with a smirk and a wink, "But, please, hurry."

Marth said nothing, merely nodding as he turned around. Running for the Falchion, Peach folded in her parasol whilst glaring towards Dark Samus. Biting upon her bottom lip, Peach glared towards Dark Samus as she tightened the hold she had around her umbrella's handle. Steam flowing from her arm cannon, Dark Samus suddenly fired a spray of blasts on Peach's position. The pink princess quickly scurried from the deadly shots, before throwing her umbrella straight at Dark Samus. The parasol struck its target dead center in the face, further aggravating her near perfect aim. By the time Dark Samus recoiled, she was being kicked rapidly in the face.

Peach's skilled feet struck Dark Samus in the face four times, the last kick throwing her back. Landing on the ground after the attack, Peach noticed her umbrella laying on the ground in close proximity to where Dark Samus landed. The two opponents glared at one another, before the faux-Samus scurried for Peach's weapon. Before she could grasp it however, a series of ribbons stretched forth from Peach's hand and wrapped around her handle. With a quick yank of the ribbons, the umbrella flowed right into Peach's hands gracefully.

Dark Samus narrowed her glare towards Peach, while the pink princess hardened her eyes into a glare as well. The dust flowed slightly between the two; Peach's mud covered dress bounce, and the blue steam flowing from Dark Samus bent in the wind as well. Things quickly became like one of those old western movies.

Peach twitched; Dark Samus moved. Her arm cannon reached to the heavens, producing three large orbs of power. The three blasts surged with malicious energy, then slowly moved down towards Peach. The pink princess caused her umbrella to open up, creating a makeshift shield of sorts. Her umbrella shook and shined, glowing with life as Peach put as much energy in protecting herself as she could. With nothing but her own guts and willpower, the Princess of Toadstools threw caution to the wind and ran for Dark Samus at full speeds.

However, one orb struck her umbrella – _WHAM! –_ pushing her back. The shine on her umbrella began to die out. Still, Peach pushed on, running again at her foe. But then the second blast hit parasol – _WHAM! –_ pushing her back again. Once more, the damage was shown by how her umbrella grew even dimmer. It's original coloring could not be seen, as Peach's rainbow lights grew weak. But the princess wouldn't give up, as she performed one final thrust. And just like the first two times, Dark Samus' blast struck her umbrella – _WHAM!_

However this time, the blast was strong enough to knock the umbrella out of Peach's hands. It flew some yards away, before crashing – head first – into the ground. Peach grew weak in the knees, as she put too much power into protecting herself. Falling upon her knees, virtual stars of dizziness began to dance around her head. Her vision was doubled; there appeared to be two Dark Samus walking towards her. Both will the ill intent of killing her. Unfortunately for Peach, she lacked the energy to stop them from doing just that.

Dark Samus aimed directly for Peach, who was at her mercy. However, a stroke of wind echoed around her. A blue blur leaped directly over Peach, the blonde gazing skyward. In a flash, a powerful slash struck across Dark Samus' arm cannon, causing a sudden power backlash. A sudden explosion echoed from Dark Samus' arm, causing her to fly back.

Peach stared up, her eyes falling upon Marth. He stood before her with the Falchion in hand, his blue eyes glaring down upon the faux-Samus murderously.

"Lady Toadstool, are you alright?" he asked, as Peach shook the stars out of her head away.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied as she stood up, "Thank you, Marth. I was about to be a goner."

"Don't thank me, Lady Toadstool," Marth said whilst smiling, "You did most of the work... now then," his face grew serious, "Pair up with me! We'll take Dark Samus out together!"

Peach nodded, before brushing blonde hair out of her face. Grasping her umbrella by the handle, she and Marth readied themselves to defeat their opponent. Dark Samus used her own powers to heal the wound she got from Marth's strike, putting her in a defenseless state. When she stared up, her enemies were upon her.

A slash to the chest caused darkness to flail. A strike to the face cracked her blue visor. A sudden, powerful stab jabbed through her shoulder, while a frying pan to the back of her head dazed her eyes. Barely standing, Dark Samus glared ahead one last time to her opponents, who pulled back to finish her.

Both of Peach's hands began to glow like lights, sparkles coating her palms and fingers. They slammed upon Dark Samus' chest, causing an intense burning energy the likes of a wild fire.

Meanwhile – with the grace of a king of his nature – Marth's blade tore down in a vertical slash upon Dark Samus' body. He was sure to use exactly the tip of his blade as well, as the Falchion was at its most powerful – and most deadly – at the very edge. True to its name of 'the tipper', Marth's blade tore straight through the Phazon monster they faced.

Phazon ripped from her body, causing her to shake. Dark Samus could barely keep control of herself, as the power keeping her alive flooded from within her. Peach and Marth slowly moved away from her, as she shook and jerked. With a sudden flash, Dark Samus roared with a mighty explosion, one strong enough to push the two rulers away.

Using Marth's cape, Peach shielded herself from the explosion. When it finally subsided, Dark Samus no longer stood before them. Well, not in any living form, anyway. No, the monster born of Phazon was now a trophy, just like anyone else.

Peach and Marth gave a sigh of relief after the fight, the two gaining big smiles on their faces. Marth sheathed Falchion away, while Peach could only make a heart shape with her hands. Pointing it at the trophy of Dark Samus, she gave a cute little wink that glowed with sparkles and said,

"Peachy!"

Marth gazed at her victory stance without uttering a word, merely watching as the princess stood with sparkles flowing up and down her body. A certain feeling of _regret_ flowed through him as well. When Peach was fighting against Dark Samus – while he was procuring the Falchion – he didn't react as quickly as he should of. A certain part of him – the more _warrior_ part of him – wished to watch the Mushroom Kingdom ruler fight.

In her own, dainty, weird way, Princess Peach was simply _mesmerizing_.

"We did it, Marth! We did it!" Peach exclaimed proudly as she hugged him close, snapping him from his dreamy trance and bringing him back to reality.

"Yes, Lady Toadstool, yes, we did it," he replied, his hands finding her shoulders, "But, could you please – ack! – let go? You're hugging – urgh!? – too tight!"

"Oh, sorry!" she said as she unleashed him, smiling down on him as she eventually calmed down, "Fewww... I haven't had a work out like that in a _long_ time... haaa," she began to fan herself, as beads of sweat moved down, "I think that just burned off enough calories with that fight to forgive me eating a bucket of ice cream. Few..."

"Calories?" Marth said as he sat down on the ground, laughing at her statement, "You worry about calories?"

"It's not easy keeping this figure," Peach claimed as she sat down besides him, "Why else do you think we keep holding all those sport tournaments at the Mushroom Kingdom? For the fun of it?... Well, yes, it is for the fun of it, but still..."

"Ha ha ha! You are a very interesting woman, Lady Toadstool."

"Marth... please... call me-"

"Peach," he said as he looked at her directly into the eye, "Princess Peach..." he smiled gently, which made Peach merely stare in a trance-like state. She must have looked so goofy when doing so, "Thank you..."

"You don't have to thank me," Peach said as she rested her hand atop his hand, "In a position like this, Fox would say 'it was a team effort'. Wasn't it so?" she patted his hand with her own, "It was a team effort Marth. We both put in equal amounts of work."

"Yeah... a team effort. W-what? Peach what are you-" _chu!_

He was merely talking when Peach suddenly grabbed his face, framing it with her own. Then her lips pressed upon his cheek in a gentle kiss. When Peach pulled back, Marth could only gaze at her gentle face that radiated with sparkles. It was a heavenly face, akin to those of angels.

They say a kiss from Princess Peach has magical properties. Perhaps that's why the Mario brothers long for them so. Marth on the other hand, wasn't sure exactly what it was he was feeling. He just knew something was in his chest, something that was making his heart beat faster.

"Marth," Peach said sweetly, as concern took over her, "Are you alright?"

"Ahhhhh... yes, Lady Toad... no... Princess Peach," Marth smiled, "I am fine. Thank you for the concern."

"Great... my dress is all ruined," Peach commented laxly to herself, as she stared down to her mud-stained dress, "Give me a second, Marth..."

Standing up, Peach swung Marth's cape about in a way to constrict view from her body. With a graceful twirl on her feet, and some sparkles for good measure, Marth couldn't see what Peach was doing. But when she was done spinning – and his cape fell loose in her hand – he couldn't see one spec of dirt or mud on her entire body. Even his cape was clean of any foreign debris it gained, looking as good as new again.

Marth could only scratch the back of her head at the sight, wondering how Peach could have pulled off such a technique. Walking up to the pink princess, he stared down into her smiling face, as she handed him back his cape.

"Thanks Marth," she said as he took it.

"You can emit sparkles from your body, pull vegetables out of the ground in a matter of seconds, and you can pull umbrellas, frying pans, and god knows what else out of thin air. And now, I've just watched you clean your entire body with nothing more than a spin. Princess Peach, what _can't_ you do? Ya'know, other than stopping yourself from being kidnapped."

"H-hey! I can stop myself from being kidnapped whenever I please," Peach claimed with a laugh as walked up to her, "It's just that... sometimes... it's a little _fun_ to play damsel in distress."

"That doesn't even make... the slightest of sense," Marth stated with a growing chuckle, before calming down, "You know... you're a great fighter, Princess Peach. It was my honor to fight by your side."

"Don't... don't say that," Peach said as she blushed with embarrassment, "Fighting is so... _unbecoming_ of a princess like myself or Zelda... it's why we have people like Mario and Link fight for us. We're simply... too _important_ to tangle ourselves up with battles. I envy your ability to fight on the front lines with your friends. How do you do it?"

"I once felt the same way," Marth claimed "As a prince... I felt as if I was too important to get into fights... more important... than my own citizens..." he sighed in a raspy manner, "You'd be surprise what changes will go on in a person when they have everything taken from them. I guess that's why I fight. I don't want my people – my friends and family – to be taken away from me. Not _again_..."

"I understand," Peach stated a smile on her face, "More than you could ever know, Marth... more than you could ever know."

The two looked at one another, with a slight smile appearing on his lips. He performed a nod, one copied by Peach shortly after.

"Shall we?" he asked of her.

"Lead the way, Hero-King."

With a low chuckle Marth gazed off to the distance, then started walking away. Parasol in hand, Peach caused it to open up to protect her from the rays of the sun above. She began following behind Marth then, tracing his steps with her own.

…

"What the hell!? I can't believe they did that!" Morta exclaimed with eyes wide, groaning to herself as she did so, "They beat Dark Samus!? How!? No one beats Dark Samus! Erraaaaagggghhh!"

The pink-haired young woman could only groan as she pulled on her hair, almost threatening to pull her own hair out. Her eyes were large, her mouth wailing out loud. Before her laid a trophy, one that bore the image of the being in question. By now, Dark Samus had been covered by some dust and mud, as time had pass since the battle.

Dr. Mario gazed down upon the bust of Dark Samus, then crouched down to be nearer to her. His fingers danced against her chest, where he found a trail of sparkles. Pulling the trail back, he allowed some fading sparkles to sit on his fingertips.

"Great... now I don't even know where they went," Morta claimed as she rubbed her head, tossing up some pink hair as she did so, "Do you have any ideas, Dr. Mario? Heh heh... you're Mario... I still can't let that slide."

The prescriber said nothing, instead looking off far into the distance. By now, the sun was setting, and the sandstorm had subsided. Still, they weren't sure how much distance Peach and Marth had put between them. Glancing back down to his fingers, Dr. Mario rubbed them together and made the tiny bits of sparkles break apart.

He stood up shortly thereafter, glancing away. His eyes cackled with electricity, while his face became one of determination. Hands curled into fists, the doctor began walking off. Morta pouted her lips at the sight, before running off to be at his side.

"You know, you should talk more often," she said, "So at least I know what the hell is going on. I'm just going to assume you know where pretty boy and pink princess are. So... uh... yeah, let's go. I... I guess..." she threw up her hands, "We should've at least driven Samus' ship! Or took Fox's Arwing or something! Jeeze... my legs are killing me..."

…

Lust. That's what he was feeling right now. He was a man, and wasn't afraid to admit it. What was driving his mind right now was nothing but lust. It sickened him, really. He didn't like to think about it, but that's what sat in his mind. In the deep recesses of his mind. Within his dreams.

Indeed, he had a dream that night. It focused on that kiss. A soft touch of hand on his face, gently stroking it. And the pressure of lips upon his cheek. A small noise that represents intersection – that cute little _chu! –_ and a warm wetness that follows.

In his dream, he would look over. He would see her smiling with her puffy lips, those blue eyes, her blonde hair, and the sparkles that flowed from her. He could feel her hand touching upon his skin, gently stroking it. Her hand would guide from his face, down his neck, and rest on his chest. His _bare_ chest. He was naked; _they_ were naked. She was close to him too, her chest pressed to his body. And she was naked.

There is truly something magical within Princess Peach's kisses.

 _VRRRRMMMM... VRRRRRMMMM... VRRRRRMMMM!_

"Huh-wha?"

Marth's eyes opened wide. Just above him were stars that shined brilliantly. The young Hero-King ran his hand up against his face, moving blue blades of hair from his vision. Then he reached out and clenched at one of the stars with his palm. What a weird noise; why did he wake up from it? He closed his eyes to go back to sleep.

 _VRRRRRMMMM! VRRRRRMMMM!_ Okay, that was a tad bit harder to ignore.

Marth attempted to pull up, but found himself unable to do so. His eyes moved around the immediate area; there was a small little campsite, a fire burning, and a certain princess in pink. She was sleeping _on him_. Her head rested on his chest, while the image of pure unconscious bliss sat on her face. She was even drooling a bit, as she used his body for a pillow, and his cape for a blanket. It would be quite cute, if it wasn't so confusing.

 _VRRRRRMMMM! VRRRRRMMMM!_

"Ack! Princess! Princess!" Marth shouted as he shook her gently, making the princess open her eyes.

"Wha? Mmm... no, not now Toadsworth," the blonde replied as her eyes slowly slid back to sleep, "No more... let me sleep."

"Peach!" Marth shouted higher, making her eyes snap open.

"What? Marth? What's wrong?" she asked as she pulled up from him, watching as he grasped his blade.

"Someone's here..."

Sword in hand, Marth withdrew the Falchion from its sheathe. He quickly got onto his feet, while Peach merely tried to wake herself up. He was half asleep himself, but alert to his surroundings. Glaring about in a circles, he searched for the wayward sound that permeated his sleep.

Then he noticed a dust cloud in the distance. Eyes glaring at the sandy haze, Marth's hand sat tightly on his blade. He wasn't sure if this haze represented an ally or a foe, or if it was anything threatening at all. But considering the position they were in – and the fact that Dark Samus randomly attacked them hours ago – he wasn't in the mood to take chances.

He just watched and waited. Watched and waited. Watched and waited. The dust cloud moved further, and further, and further and further. Marth merely gritted his teeth as it grew more and more in view.

Then he noticed what it was. One wheel in the front, one wheel in the back. A motorcycle. On the back of this motorcycle was a young man, though Marth couldn't tell much more. He merely drove up to the Hero-King without a hint of hesitation. Still, Marth was unsure if this man was ally or enemy, and thus retained his strong hold on Falchion's hilt.

Until this man came to a screeching halt. His motorcycle turned to the side with skill and finesse, showing a mastery of the dangerous vehicle. Marth merely watched as the motorcycle skidded to a halt, stopping only a few feet away. The wind brushed against him, as he got a better look at this man.

He was a young man, equal in age to Marth himself, in fact. Perhaps he was older though; it was hard to tell. If anything, he appeared to resemble Ike a great bit. This young man owned visible muscle definition as well, and sharp, jagged, spiky blonde hair. His eyes were blue, quite reminiscent of a certain Hero of Time. And he was tall; if only by just a few inches.

Upon seeing this young man, Marth didn't feel particularly threatened by him. That changed slightly when he noticed the huge blade he had attached at his back. A blade large enough to make Ike and his Ragnell blush with embarrassment. Seeing him caused Marth to ready his blade once again.

"Who are you?" Marth asked in a threatening manner, his glare peering down this young man, "Speak now! I won't hesitate to strike!"

"Tffft... I'm not here for a fight," said the young man before Marth, his demeanor being oddly relaxed despite staring down the tip of the mighty Falchion, "In fact, I've been looking for you."

"That's not really making me feel any better," Marth claimed as he continued to size up his opponent, "Now, I'll ask you again, who are you?"

"Like I said earlier," this mysterious man said as his hand traveled up to the handle of his own blade, "I'm not here for a fight, alright? I'm only here for a talk."

"Relinquish the hold on your sword, knave."

"Who are you calling knave, pretty boy?"

Now it looked as if neither side was ready to be diplomatic in their approaches. Marth was angry with this newcomer, who appeared to hold a malicious intent. Couple that with the prospect of another attack, and you get a dangerous Hero-King on your hands. He watched as this fellow's grip on his own blade increased in hold, and growled lowly at the sight. He took one step forward in preparation to fight.

And the Peach made her way between the two.

"Oh, hello there," she said to the blonde before him, catching Marth off guard, "Were you the one who woke us up?" she looked pass the young man to his motorcycle, and nodded, "Yeah... you're the one who woke us up."

"Princess Peach, please!" Marth said, "You don't know who this guy is!"

"Please mister, would you like some tea?"

That statement caught Marth off guard, and he looked towards Peach's hands. Sitting within them was a small plate, and a cup of hot tea. He could only gaze at it with a face of pure confusion, wondering how Peach was able to get her hands on such a thing. Then he remembered that this was Peach, so she probably just produced it with her sparkles for all he knew.

"Thank you," said the young man, which only confused Marth further.

His hand dropped from the handle of his blade, gently taking the cup of hot tea Peach offered him. Bringing it to his lips, he took a sip, which made the Princess of Toadstools laugh and giggle. And that only made Marth feel slightly angry, really. He rolled his eyes as he sheathed his blade, watching as this young man handed the empty cup back to Peach, who giggled some more.

"Thank you, sir," she said, "Now, do you mind telling me your name?"

"Cloud," he said as he looked at her, "Cloud Strife," he reached a hand out, "Nice to meet you, Princess Peach."

"Please, just call me Peach," she said as she shook his head, "Do you mind telling me why you are here, Mr. Strife."

"I'm looking for your boyfriend here, actually," he replied, which made Marth blush furiously, and Peach merely laugh, "I was sent by his friend, Ike."

"Wait... you know Ike?" Marth asked as he walked up to him, "How do you know Ike? Where is he?"

Cloud crossed his arms as he scoffed at Marth, which only served to exacerbate him further.

"Come on, why don't you come with me?" Cloud asked as he walked back over to his motorcycle, leaving Marth in the dust.

"Hey, I was asking a question!"

"And I'm giving you an answer," Cloud replied as he mounted his bike, "Ike's back this way, I'll give you two a ride there. We need to be caught up on why there's this huge... well, he called it a Subspace bubble. I think it looks like a gateway straight into the heart of the Lifestream if you ask me..."

"Oh, why thank you, Mr. Strife!" Peach said with a laugh, "Um... does your motorcycle have space for all of us?"

"I think we'll be able to make space," Cloud replied as he mounted his vehicle.

"Haaa... we better..." Marth replied lowly as he joined them.

"Oh... well now... this is awkward... who's riding in the middle?" Peach asked.

Both Marth and Cloud looked at her in unison. Neither side said a word.

"Of course..." she mumbled with a sigh.

* * *

 _Maverick Talks!_

 _You know what I like? Star Wars. You know what I also like? Star Wars video games. You know what this chapter is named after? A Star Wars videogame. Specifically, Rouge Leader; the second in the Rogue Squadron games. Those are really good games; I totally recommend it._

 _So, what's up? This chapter? Well, it's just a big fight between Marth and Peach against Dark Samus! I suppose it doesn't really further the story, but considering everything that happened before, I think it's only fitting. After all, this is a Smash fic; don'tcha just wanna watch people get Smashed? Whoa... sound's weird..._

 _Anyway, I hope Dark Samus and her (her? Should it be it?) summoning, further explains who Morta is. After all, she has the ability to pull objects from her pockets, but from where? Just think about it; who in the entire cast has the ability to pull and store things inside of her pockets? Shouldn't be too hard..._

 _Well, that's the end of that. Peach and Marth have defeated Dark Samus, and have run into Cloud from FFVII at the end. Can you imagine it? Cloud in a Super Smash Bros. game? I swear, that made me scream when I saw his trailer that November. Boy. Cloud in a Super Smash Bros. game. It made me buy FFVII on the PS4 and play the entire game._

 _But that's the end of that. Next time, Marth and Peach team up with Cloud and Ike, and see if they can make sense out of this nonsense._

 _So if Cloud's in Smash now, the skies the limit for the next Smash game. Can I get Shantae? Kazuya? Or, ya'know, can I just get Snake back? Please?_

 _Maverick Kay Prime_


	4. Preparing to Advance

Preparing to Advance

Smolders. That's what his electrified eyes relaid to him. Nothing but smolders. Hours of walking had only brought them to another dead end. The people they chased were once here, but no longer. The remains of their makeshift campsite was the only sign of them once being here. And, judging from the smolders that emanated from the fire they created, they left not too long ago.

"Aaaaahhhh! I'm so tired!" his partner cried, making the doctor shake his head in disgust.

Dr. Mario glared back towards Morta, who struggled to keep her eyes open a midst their mission. She was a most annoying partner, constantly crying and whining when things didn't go her way. He merely rolled his eyes in annoyance, and then stared back towards the smolders of fire which existed before them.

Where could they have gone? From this point on, it looked as if they vanished from the face of the earth. Gazing left and right, he searched for an answer to his problems. He stood up from the ground, blue eyes combing the immediate fields around him. Then his eyes caught hold of an answer.

He walked a few yards away from the campsite, his eyes falling upon a thin line. It had been slightly covered by sand and winds, but a path was visible. Tire tracks existed in the ground, running off for an unknown direction. The doctor in black placed his fingers on his chin in thought about the situation, and then started to nod. Hands at his side, he began walking off, following the path closely.

"Aaaawwwww! We're still going!?" Morta cried, "Awwww coooooome ooooonnnn!"

…

His blue eyes stared out towards the lands. On one side of him, endless fields of dust and sand. On the other end, even more endless fields of dust and sand. Sure, there were a few mountains in the distance; the only object that broke the endless plains of sand. The boring visuals only seemed to make the trip that much longer. Not helped was the headache inducing conversations that echoed behind him.

"Wow, your sword is so large, Mr. Strife!"

"Please, just call me Cloud."

Yeah, that conversation. It made the Hero-King roll his eyes in disgust, though it was well hidden. Marth sat on the end of Cloud's – considerably large – motorcycle, his back turned towards Peach and Cloud himself. He had this annoyed expression on his face, while his bottom lip was pouted up. If only one could see the sure amount of annoyance and dread he displayed at this very moment. Maybe if his cape wasn't waving in the wind, someone could.

Call him childish, but Marth... well... he simply didn't like this Cloud fellow. For one thing, he had no clue who Cloud was, which made things even worse. He was just a man who pulled up in his motorcycle, claiming to know of Ike's location. On any other day, Marth would've merely faced this young man down. But Peach was more than willing to trust this blonde fellow, ignoring the fact that they were being chased by Master Hand knows what.

"So, how much longer, Cloud?" Peach asked, the motorcycle between her legs howling.

"Shouldn't be too much longer now," the young man replied as he eased on the throttle of his bike, "You two are lucky we are so close, actually. If you had been farther away, I might not have found you."

"Oh, how sad..." Marth replied sarcastically, as he rolled his eyes.

The motorcycle suddenly began screeching to a halt, which through the Hero-King for a spin. His eyes were rolling about as the motorcycle came roaring to a stop. By the time the vehicle ceased movement, Marth's cape had comically covered over his face. It took him a second or two to move the red and blue cape away, allowing him to see where they now stood.

Cloud leaned his motorcycle to one side, staring out dead-ahead. Arms on his – admittedly strong – arms, Peach stared over his shoulders to where they had arrived. After Marth had removed his cape from his face, he did likewise. Granted, with a bit of jittery movement. Hey, motorcycles are the Hero-King's forte; give him a break!

The dusty dunes they once drove on had been replaced by sand covered payment. The rising sun overhead replaced with morning fog and haze. The Hero-King no longer stood in the center of a desert, but instead on the outskirts of a forgotten town.

"What is this place?" Marth questioned, to which Cloud shrugged his shoulders.

"Beats me..." the young man replied, "Never really cared enough to ask..." he then gestured with his head, "C'mon, let's get moving."

Pressing on the gas of his motorcycle again, Cloud pulled the vehicle slowly into the abandoned town. A low, malicious, wondering eye seemed to follow them as they trailed into town. Marth glared around with a certain sense of suspicion, feeling as if his soul was being searched through. Unconsciously, he grasped upon the handle of Falchion, as if awaiting a sudden ambush.

"Brrrr..." Peach suddenly shivered, as she began rubbing her own arms.

"What's wrong?" Cloud asked in an aloof manner, which Peach laxly brushed off.

"It's cold here," she stated, "Like... really cold..." she took a breath, where she could see a white puff follow it, "Oh my!"

"Don't worry Princess Peach," Marth said as he grasped upon his cape, "You can use my-"

"I've got this," Cloud suddenly interrupted, garnering an intense glare from the Hero-King.

His hand moved down to his body, grasping on the edge of the jacket he wore. Pulling it off gently, he handed it to Peach, who blushed as it sat in her arms. Honestly, it was a tad bit heavy, but the kind gesture was nice enough. Not only that, it did unveil a tiny bit more of Cloud's muscular stature. Which, ya'know, made Peach blush even more. She tried to hide it, but if one couldn't see the blush on her face, they could see the shine that emanated from her body.

What was this feeling Marth had in his gut, as Peach shined like a light bulb around this Cloud fellow? It was a feeling he hadn't felt in a long, long time. A feeling of jealousy perhaps? Yeah, jealousy. A feeling of jealousy that turned into,

"Ah!?" _Fear._

Everything happened in a flash. A blast torn in twain, while the motorcycle came to a halt. Marth landed on the ground with a sharp glare on his face, the Falchion already withdrawn. However, as he stared out, there didn't appear to be anyone there. The blast seemed to have formed from thin air.

"Marth!" Peach cried as she stood up from Cloud's motorcycle, "What happened? What's going on?"

"Great... this again," Cloud replied laxly as he placed his hand upon the hilt of his mighty blade, gripping it tightly.

"This again?" Marth repeated as he retained his battle ready stance, "Is there something you mind telling us, Strife?"

"I was thinking about it," Cloud replied, "But with that tone..." he looked at Marth, "Shut up."

The two glared at one another roughly, before Peach muscled her way between the two. She stared at them with a face of scolding, before something caught sight in her eye. But when she looked ahead, she saw nothing. Her eyes slid into a glare, then the Princess of Toadstools removed one of her gloves. Upon doing so, she caused it to resonate with a glitter and a shine.

"Someone's here with us," she claimed as she pulled her arm back, sliding her glove back on, "Ah?"

Just a few yards before them, a large swarm of darkness appeared. They were like tiny little bubbles, flowing about without rhyme or reason. Peach and Marth gazed towards the swarm with confusion, Cloud being more or less indifferent to it all. Then the darkness began to swarm around itself, forming humanoid beings. Side by side, a virtual army of human-shaped beings stood oppose to them. They weren't particularly tall – being just barely larger than Luigi – but they made up for their diminutive height with sheer numbers. Well, that and their dangerously familiar form.

They were green like camouflaged soldiers. Green hats, green bodies, with black arms and black faces. They wore brown gloves and brown boots, with blood-red eyes. Constantly flowing from their backs were shadows of darkness, the same darkness that gave them shape and form.

"I can't believe it," Peach claimed as she walked backwards, "Is the entire world going insane!? First a dark Mario! Then that little girl! The Ancient Minister! A Subspace Bomb goes off, and now Primids! I thought they were all gone!"

"This place still holds a lot of darkness," Cloud claimed as he pulled his blade from its metallic lock, holding it tightly in his hands, "These things pop up every now and then."

"And you were planning on telling us this, when? Exactly?" Marth asked in an insulting manner.

"Whenever I felt like it," Cloud replied, "Look, let's just deal with these guys quickly, and be home in time for dinner."

"On that, we agree..."

Without a hint of hesitation, Marth and Cloud threw themselves into the groups of foes they were faced with. Blades tore into darkness, as the two warriors cleaved through Primids without hesitation. Peach lingered behind, sighing with her arms thrown up in annoyance. Shortly after, she ran in chase of them, sparkles flowing from her body. She slammed it down on the chest of one Primid, the sparkles triggering an explosion that sent it flying into another. As she kicked one other Primid away, Peach's eyes danced over towards Cloud and Marth.

There was a certain difference in the way the two fight; Cloud was more active with his blade, a tad bit reckless as well. His large blade tore through Primids with ease, cleaving them into pieces and destroying them. Meanwhile, Marth was far more graceful in his style. He kept his distance, using the tip of his blade to tear through enemies viciously. They both had their own way, with neither being really superior to the other.

If only _they_ could see that.

"Hah! Your style lacks refinement!" Marth claimed as he tripped a Primid over his leg, only to stab another, "It's truly amazing you're capable of swinging that blade around! Let alone using it in an actual battle!"

"Ya'know, Ike described you as being a calm and wise individual," Cloud retorted as he sent a green shockwave of destruction towards a group of Primids, tearing them in half, "Right now..." he swung the blade, swiping over another Primid or two, "I'm not seeing it."

"Fine then..." he faced down a group of Primids, "As they say in Midgar; watch as I school you, knave!"

"We do not say that in Midgar!"

Marth ignored him however, running into a group of Primids without caution to his own safety. In fact – deep inside his mind – he had no idea _why_ he was acting this way. He was acting like that cocky prince many people _thought_ him to be, really. A part of him knew this. A part of him was smart enough to tell he was doing stupid acts. And yet, another part of him simply did not care.

A rush of wind swarmed around the Falchion, as Marth stabbed it forward. Said gust was strong enough to blow away Primids, throwing them into stone walls and causing them to erupt into darkness. The Hero-King smirked, pleased with his performance. However, with just a few swings of his blade, Cloud was perfectly capable of performing the same feet. Marth frowned at the sight, as even more Primids threw themselves at him. Seeing this as his chance, he began to rapidly thrust forward with his blade, effortlessly stabbing through many Primids and destroying them. But just like before Cloud was capable of outshining his actions. He performed a vicious spin that strike multiple enemies, and blew many others away. Those he did strike were instantly torn to shreds by the pure power of his strike.

Cloud took in a deep breath as he pulled back after the attack, only for a gust of wind to brush by him. He glared sharply towards Marth, who looked away in a not-so-innocent manner. The Hero-King brushed hair nonchalantly from his face, while Cloud marched up towards him.

"Do you have something to say, pretty boy?" asked the man with the Buster Sword.

"Other than that your stance has a bit of a gap between it," Marth claimed with an indifferent tone, his eyes rolling elsewhere, "It would be perfectly capable for one of our opponents to bring you down. Perhaps you should think about switching stances, hm?"

"I'll keep my stance the way it is, thank you very much," Cloud replied as his face grew harsher, "And about you and your wind-"

"HEY GUYS! A LITTLE HELP HERE!"

"What!? Peach!?" they shouted in unison.

A bunch of Primids had her down, holding her close and gathering around her. Where they had swords to help keep off Primids, Peach's rainbow sparkles and random house items simply didn't compare. Besides, she was more used to one-on-one fighting than she was in these all-out brawls anyway.

But that wasn't the biggest problem. As Cloud and Marth moved to rescue her, the Primids began to form together. The darkness that flowed from their backs formed together, their bodies fusing as well. The pink princess scowled in disgust at the sight, while she suddenly found herself being picked up into the air. The Primids had formed a hand, a hand that extended into the body of a particularly large Primid. A Primid large enough to tower the buildings it stood among.

Peach was jostled in the Primid's hand, struggling to move as it clenched tightly upon her body. She was squeezed within its grasp, strong enough that her eyes grew wide and pain ran through her entire body.

"AAAAHHHHH!?"

"PEACH!" Marth cried as he threw the Falchion towards the Primid, jabbing it within its head.

A spray of darkness flowed from its wound, but the attack did virtually nothing. The Primid merely glared down towards Marth with the Falchion embedded within its skull, still squeezing on Peach with its might. In fact, it gave quite a sudden clinch, which made the princess yell out even louder.

"AAH-HAAA!?"

"You let go of her," Marth growled, "NOW!"

With or without a sword, he wasn't going to let this monstrous Primid have its way. He ran towards the beast's leg, ramming his shoulder into its foot. His attack did as much as one would suspect; pretty much nothing. The giant Primid pulled back its foot then kicked forward, striking Marth and sending him flying back. He rolled on the ground for a few feet before stopping, and when he opened his eyes Cloud stood beyond him.

Buster Sword in hand, Cloud glared up towards the Primid before him. When he dashed, he flew above the ground instead of running, and when he leaped up, his blade surged with a red power.

"Climhazzard!" he shouted in midair, as his blade stabbed straight into the gut of the giant Primid they faced.

At first, his stab seemed to have done just as much damage as the Falchion did earlier; ie, nothing at all. But in the next moment, Cloud's eyes began to shine. His entire body erupted with a blue aura that surged even into his sword itself.

"Limits..." he whispered, "Were meant to be broken."

The next moment, Cloud and his blade launched up like a rocket, tearing through the giant Primid like a knife through butter. Darkness spurted from the massive scar given to the being of darkness, while Cloud tore straight through its chest and head. He didn't stop moving until he was in the air above the Primid. Then he dropped again with just as much power and speed as he did going up. His blade tore through the Primid again, this time tearing it straight through from the top to the bottom.

When the young man landed, his collision triggered a massive crack in the roads. The Primid he struck fell back in defeat, vanishing into a cloud of darkness as soon as it landed. Cloud propped his blade on the earth and leaned against it, sighing after his deadly attack. Right besides him, a certain maiden in a pink dress hovered daintily to the ground with her umbrella open. Sparkles emanated from her dress and parasol as she did so, not ceasing until she touched down to the ground.

"Are you alright, Peach?" he asked, genuine concern sitting upon his usually aloof face.

"Yes... thank you, Mr. Strife," she replied with a smile, "I'd hate to say it, but it's not the first time I've been in a large hand like that... it's the first time it wasn't scaly though."

"Yeah, it' reminds me of the Carry Armor from Junon," Cloud remarked offhandedly, before taking in a deep breath, "It looks like all the Primids are done here though."

"Thank you for rescuing me, Mr. Strife," Peach said as she reached up.

 _Chu!_

"Rugghh... what was that for?" Cloud asked, eyebrow raised as he rubbed his cheek.

"For saving me!" she claimed, though he still remained perplexed.

"Wow... you princesses are weird..." he glanced around, "Thank the heavens Tifa wasn't around to see that..."

Pulling his blade out from the ground, Cloud attached it to his back. Peach slid her umbrella back into... well... _hammerspace_ , I suppose, while she combed the fields in search of another. Before she got the chance to call out his name, she found him. Standing in the center of the land where the Primids once stood, pulling his sword out from the earth. He had his back turned towards her, with Peach skipping jovially up to him.

"Marth," she called, "Are you alright?"

"Yes... Lady Toadstool," he answered as he sheathed his blade callously, "Um... I'm happy to see you're alright."

"Thanks to your and Mr. Strife's aid," Peach claimed, garnering a snarl from the blonde.

"Please, Princess Peach, just call me 'Cloud'. Mr. Strife fields..." he shook his head as he couldn't finish his statement.

"Please. Lady Toadstool, don't patronize me," Marth stated, ignoring Cloud's words, "Cloud did all the work... I merely... got in the way."

"I'm not patronizing you," Peach claimed, as concern sat on her face, "I'm... being honest, um..." she raised an eyebrow, then reached forward, "Is there something wrong, Marth?"

Before she could touch him, he moved away. Peach attempted another touch, only for the same event to transpire. The pink princess was utterly confused by Marth's movements, and it showed. He didn't see her face as his back was to her, and Cloud was busy making way for his motorcycle, so he couldn't see it either. The princess' face showed visible pain. Not pain caused by physical means; pain caused by a lack of understanding.

"I... I'm sorry..."

"Knave, where is Ike?" Marth asked as he looked to Cloud, who merely groaned.

"I'm right here," a voice answered before Cloud got the chance.

The trio stared into the middle of the fog that covered the street, noticing a shaded figure approaching them. A figure in the distance, with a mighty blade resting upon its shoulders. When he broke through the fog, he owned unkempt blue hair, with a green bandanna wavering just beneath it. Surprisingly muscular, he held a body structure akin to Adonis himself. Seriously, this young man looked like Marth and Cloud fused together, which was just A-Ok for Peach. However, he bore this no-nonsense demeanor on his face, all while his hand tightened its hold on his blade's handle.

"Marth. Long time no see."

"Ike," the Hero-King replied with a bow, "It's good to see you again too."

"You've made quite a bash in our little hidey-hole here," Ike commented as he looked around, taking note of the battle scars left on the ground, "Couldn't you have made a little silenter entrance?"

"How did you find us?"

"It's kind of hard not to notice a large Primid that walks around," Ike stated, "I do have eyes, ya'know..." he then glanced over to a certain princess in pink, who merely looked back with surprise, "Peach."

"Oh... oh! Right! Sir Ike!" Peach said as she regained her usual persona, "It's great to see you again. And... _my..._ have _you_ changed," she walked up closer to him, placing a hand on his forehead and triggering a confused blush, "I mean... you look so... _larger_ now than you did before."

"Yeeeaaaaah," he replied, "Come on. Let's get out of here," he looked off into the distance, "I smell a storm coming..."

…

Rain pelted his body, like little stones to concrete. He didn't care though, as the tiny droplets soaked him thoroughly. He was at his most dangerous at this point in time; not only to himself, but to others as well. If his electrical prowess were to be unleashed, he could electrocute those around him, himself included. He was supposed to stay clear of storms like this.

Right now, he didn't care. Dr. Mario stood up tall as his blue eyes pierced the silent lands around him. Just behind, Morta had her umbrella out, using it to protect herself from the downpour around them. She had her eyes on some kind of PDA-like device, running her fingers along it, before staring up and over to her partner.

"Ya'know," she said, "You can catch a cold like that, right now. As if you'd really care..."

Dr. Mario merely shook his head, as he stared down to the ground. Tiny little fragments of darkness would move away with every step he took. He reached down to the ground, palming it, and pulling back. Upon doing so, he noticed these tiny little bugs of darkness. They would scurry away from him quickly, but it no longer mattered.

"What the hell?" Morta commented as she walked up beside her partner, "Shadow bugs? What are they doing here? I thought they were all gone..." Dr. Mario began waking away, "Double what the hell! Where are you going!? Aauuuugggh! Talk to me for a change!"

He knew it was unwise, but the doctor simply couldn't help himself. An insidious smile crept up upon his lips, his eyes cackling with electricity. As Morta cleared the distance between herself and him, she couldn't help but to look up into his eyes.

"Oh... you got _that_ look in your eye again," Morta stated as she sighed with annoyance, "Alright, alright. Who are we summoning this time?"

…

"So... you and Princess Peach?"

"There is nothing going on between Lady Toadstool and I. I am merely escorting her."

Ike's blade slammed into the ground, a sigh escaping him. He cracked his neck passively, then glanced over to the Hero-King who sat at a table. Shoulder's shrugging, he took a chair opposite to Marth at the same chair, his hands meeting in the center. Marth looked back at him with eyebrow raised, while Ike retained his same glare of indifference.

"Bull crap," said the Radiant Hero, which perplexed Marth so.

"Come again?"

"That there's nothing going on between you and Peach," Ike stated, "I... find that hard to believe. Especially with the way you seemed so adamant to _ignore_ her on the way here. I may not be much of a romanticist, but I do see myself as a people person. And I can tell something's off with you, Marth. Is it because of Cloud?"

"Who is that knave, anyway?" Marth asked instead, unconsciously changing the subject, "Who is he, where did he come from, and why is he in your league?"

"Cloud's someone I met during my journeys around the planet," Ike claimed laxly, "We fought at a tournament. Couldn't really best one another. He's a good opponent, helped me figure out things I was doing wrong. We were both on our way to Millennium Court to converse in the talks. He's the emissary from Midgar, it would seem."

"You were on your way to Millennium Court?" Marth repeated, "And _he_ is the emissary from Midgar? Of all people? That knave."

"He's a good man, Marth," Ike stated, "Sure... he's a tad bit _too_ aloof sometimes, but he's after the right things. You don't have to call him a 'knave'..." he shivered slightly, "Jeeze... you know I hate that word..."

"Ahh... I apologize, Ike," Marth said as he bowed his head in disappointment with himself, "Could you forgive me?"

"Marth, we're friends, you don't have to ask for forgiveness for anything," Ike claimed, "It's not that serious anyway. What is serious, is what the hell is going on? Why is there a Subspace bubble where your castle used to be? Where is everyone else? Why could we only find you and Peach?"

"How did you find us?"

"Cloud and I were a few miles away when the Subspace Bomb went off," Ike replied, "We saw a Warp Star flying out from it just as it activated. I assumed it was Kirby. Surprise when I find you two making way around our town. Even more surprised when I find out it was you and Peach. Where's everyone else? Like Link or Mario? Zelda even? Samus?"

"There in the bubble..." Marth answered, face growing serious, "We were having the talks as planned, when Lucina and Meta Knight were flung at us as trophies. Shortly after a Master Ball fell, one that opened up to unleash Raikou, the Legendary Thunder Pokemon. Everyone was electrocuted and turned into Trophies. Except for Peach and I..." he looked away, "We were ambushed. By a man who looked like Mario, but wasn't. He wore a dark cloak, and lacked the hat. He looked more like a doctor..."

"Huh... Dr. Mario? That plumber?" Ike replied, arms crossed.

"There was also this little girl with him. Pink hair, and quite a little _sadist_ as well... and..." he tensed up, "The Ancient Minister."

"The Ancient Minister?" Ike replied with shock, "Marth, the Ancient Minister doesn't exist anymore. It's R.O.B., remember?"

"Peach and I saw the Ancient Minister, Ike," Marth stated, "I... I can't explain it myself, but it was the Ancient Minister. Cloak and all. But... wait..." he looked away, fingers on his chin, "Unlike R.O.B. This Ancient Minister _spoke_. His voice was heavily mechanical, but he spoke. Actual words."

"Great... I was hoping you'd explain the situation more," Ike stated as he looked away in thought, "Actually tell me what the hell was happening. Now... I have just as much questions and more..."

"Ike, I need your help," Marth said, bringing Ike's eyes back, "I do not plan on standing idly by while those fiends do what they will with my Kingdom, and my friends. We've already seen what events like these can transpire from times like these. It is highly unlikely the Ancient Minister and his corps will remain in that bubble."

"Of course," Ike answered, "What do you have in mind, Hero-King?"

"There were many heroes who didn't make it to the talks," Marth claimed as he walked over to the window of this building, his blue eyes staring out, "Whether it was because they couldn't make it, or not..." he could see Peach and Cloud, standing near the latter's motorcycle, "Or... perhaps it was because... reasons..." Peach's umbrella was out, casting a shade over her body as she spoke with the young man, "And..." he was talking back, "I do plan on taking... back my castle and..."

His voice trailed off as he ceased saying words. Ike didn't say anything as well, merely raising an eyebrow towards his partner. Did Marth notice what he was doing? Probably not. He looked like some sort of loss puppy, unable to find its way in the world. His childishness was quite cute, in that sad, woobie, moe kind of way.

Did he notice he was looking at Peach intensely like he was doing now? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Did he notice that same feeling as from before grow within him as it did now? He felt a burning need to impress Peach, and to show up that blonde fellow. Marth wasn't the kind of man to show such feelings of ignorance; he was usually wise about things. But now?...

"As I was saying," Marth said as he turned away from the window, continuing on as if nothing had changed, "We need to forge some sort of team in order to take back Millennium Court. I can use your help in doing so, Ike."

"I understand," Ike replied as he shrugged his shoulders, "So what do you have in mind?"

"We'll split up. That should get us the ability to create a bigger team in a shorter period of time. I plan on making way towards Ganondorf's domain."

"Ganondorf? As in... King of Evil, Ganondorf?" Ike replied, "Uh... Marth, perhaps I should be the one who tries to pull Ganondorf to our side. I'm not trying to insult you, but I think I'm better equipped to fight a man of his caliber."

"Your skills to amass an army are far better than mine, Ike," Marth claimed, "You're far more charismatic than I am for one thing, and people tend to listen to you better than they do a king a like myself... I don't think I'd have it in my heart to send you after Ganondorf. Besides, I have a knack for taking down Dark Emperors."

"I still believe this to be a foolish endeavor," Ike claimed, "But I do agree we should split up. And if you're truly hellbent on facing Ganondorf, there's very little I can do to sway your opinions," his hand reached away, before returning with a map. He laid the rolled up map on the table they sat near, opening it up, "Alright. We're her. Ganondorf should be over there in the Hyrule lands. If you find transportation, it shouldn't take you anywhere more than a week perhaps to make it there. I suppose I'll head the opposite way. I know I've run into at least Wolf on my quests..."

Marth and Ike nodded their heads in unison as they settled on their goals, before the door to their building suddenly opened up. Peach stood before them, her umbrella drenched, and even herself just a bit. She looked frantic, but not because of the rain.

"Lady Toadstool," Marth said as he stood up, "Is there something the matter?"

"Yes, there is," Peach replied as she looked at them, "There's something out there."

"More Shadow Bugs?" Ike asked.

"No... these look different."

Marth and Ike traded glances with one another, before the Hero-King pulled himself out of the building. Ike followed, grasping Ragnell and running out the structure as well. The Marth, Ike and Peach pulled themselves out into the streets outside, rain falling upon them. Side by side, Marth, Ike, Peach, and Cloud glared into the distance. They could only see two sets of glowing, yellow eyes. They were covered well by the rain that fell, but they constantly approached them. These beings held a fuzzy aura around them of purple, dark energy. The closer they got, the more familiar they became. From merely nameless shadows, these two beings revealed themselves.

One was a young woman. Long blue hair, glowing yellow eyes, and a demented aura formed around her body. She wore a blue uniform like Marth himself, even going as far to hold a blade akin to the Hero-King's own Falchion. In fact, these demonic image of a young woman held quite a resemblance to Marth himself.

Because it was Lucina. And standing opposite of Lucina was a bird-like creature. He wore a white uniform, had blue feathers, and a most futuristic arsenal attached to his hip. He was unlike anything seen so far; looking like a creature from an entirely different planet. But he was from a different planet. It was Falco.

Yet these were not the real versions of these iconic heroes. It was clear from the glowing yellow eyes and the darkness that swarmed from their bodies, that these creatures were mere clones. Clones forged from the likes of the Shadow Bugs themselves. These dark variation of Lucina and Falco lacked any sort of emotion on their faces, appearing more like statues. And yet they appeared battle ready.

"Lucina? Falco?" Peach commented as she stared at them, "What...? They look like them but..."

"That's not them," Marth claimed as he withdrew Falchion, "Who are you!? What are you shaded monsters doing out here!?"

"Oh, we summoned them," a familiar voice rang.

The group turned around, facing the opposite way. Standing behind them was a certain pink-haired deviant, and her doctor friend. Morta had her umbrella out protecting her from the rain, while a sadistic glare sat on her face. Dr. Mario retained his emotionless visage however, as he stood with fists clinched.

"Whoa... he does look like a doctor version of Mario," Ike commented as he stared at him, "Weird..."

"What are you doing here?" Peach shouted, garnering a snicker from Morta.

"Uh, isn't it obvious?" Morta replied, "Stopping you from doing what it is clear what you're doing. We can't have you guys running around making a bigger mess than you should! Especially not until we're done with our plans. It's such a shame we didn't get the chance to get all of you back there... especially..." her eyes slid over to Ike, where a lustful gaze sat on Morta's face, "You... hiya there, big boy."

"Alright, I stand corrected, weirder," Ike replied as he readied Ragnell, "Any ideas, Marth?"

"I have unfinished business with the prescriber," Marth replied as his face slid into a glare, "I shall dance with the doctor."

"I call lover boy," Morta said as she glared at Ike.

"H-hey! I call you!" Peach shouted as she pointed at Morta, "Your fight is with me!"

"I'll deal with the Lucina fake then," Ike said as he faced the dark clone.

"Tfff... leftovers are fine with me," Cloud said as he readied his Buster Sword, eyes sliding towards the Dark Falco.

Silence fell over them then, save for the sounds of rain from above. Peach pulled out her trusted frying pan, while her blue eyes glared towards Morta. The sadistic little girl pulled out – of all things – a mere slingshot. Ike steadied his blade towards False Lucina, who readied her own variation of Falchion. False Falco pulled out his blaster, aiming it towards Cloud, who was ready with his own sword. And lastly, Marth pointed his blade towards Dr. Mario, who punched his fist into his own palm causing a few sparks of electricity.

A streak of lightning echoed over head. This time, Marth would strike first.

His speeds were impossible, as he dashed towards Dr. Mario before him. Marth leaped sky-high as he pulled Falchion back, bringing it down upon Dr. Mario with a viscous slash. The dark prescriber pulled back, dodging the first slash, and then the stab that happened directly after. Marth followed up again with a horizontal slash that Dr. Mario dodged by ducking. Now it was the doctor's time to counter, as he pulled back up with his fist at the ready. Marth sidestepped the blow, dodging it just barely.

However, the failed uppercut was nothing more than a bait, which caught Marth in its trap. Dr. Mario pulled back, charging up an attack far stronger than the rest. Marth saw it at just the right time, and quickly brought up his blade. By the time Dr. Mario realized what it was his opponent was doing, it was too late. He slammed his open palm forward, sending a blast of electrical energy. His blast struck Falchion, causing it to vibrate.

"As if I'd let you," Marth growled, before delivering a powerful counter.

His blade swung at full speeds, striking Dr. Mario with an attack twice as strong as the prescriber's own strike. The blow was strong enough to fling him back, sending him crashing into a wall. The doctor pulled himself off, before slamming his fist against his chest. The blow was strong, but not strong enough to induce trophication, it would seem. Marth didn't mind, as he readied Falchion once again.

"Watch me, Princess Peach," he whispered lowly to himself, before his eyes grew wide with shock, "What..." he turned around slowly towards the princess in pink who's frying pan was clashing with Morta's axe "What did I just say?"

 _CLANG!_

Morta's entire body rang, as her attack clashed with Peach's. It was clear the same feeling ran through the Mushroom Kingdom ruler as well, as the duo jittered in place for a few moments. But Peach recoiled first, and quickly wheeled back with her frying pan once again.

 _THONG!_

That blow really sent Morta for a ringing, as she was thrown skyward and away thanks to a blow to the head. She landed some ways away, still rubbing her head with pain. As Peach approached her however, the sneaky little harlot quickly reached into her endless pockets. What she pulled out was a heavy blaster. She smiled as she held the gun in her hand, and quickly began pulling upon its trigger.

Peach pulled out her umbrella, opening it up as she did so. Parasol shining, she caused Morta's blasts to bounce harmlessly off and away. When the blasts stopped, Peach dropped her umbrella, and saw that Morta was no longer there. The little witch had escaped, surely to cause trouble again soon. Peach glanced around in search of her, before feeling something pelt the back of her head.

She turned around to see Morta, standing with an innocent smile on her face. Peach could only glare at her before watching as Morta pulled a Bomb-omb out of her pockets. That got the princess startled; Bomb-ombs aren't things to play with. Dropping down, Peach's hands began to shine. The roots of a turnip suddenly appeared beneath her, and she pulled on them. Yanking it out, Peach pulled out not a Turnip, but instead a Bomb-omb of her own.

"Oh come on!" Morta growled, "You got that lucky a grab!?"

"I guess I did," Peach replied, before smiling.

The two pulled back their hands, then threw them forward. The two Bomb-ombs collided with one another, triggering a monster explosion that pushed them both back. Morta struggled to recoil from the explosion, but not so much for Peach. Then the pink harlot gazed up and through the fogs of flames, where to her surprise, she saw Peach leaping through. The pink princess pulled up her skirt lightly, giving her legs just a bit more leeway. Enough leeway to strike Morta repeatedly in the face with kicks. The fourth and last kick knocked Morta away, turning her usual mischievous face into one of pure rage.

"You are... insanely annoying! You know that!?" she claimed.

"And you can't seem to fight when people get in close," Peach replied, "Do you know that?"

"Oh, I know Princess," Morta claimed as she reached into her bottomless pockets, pulling out a Beam Sword, "So you don't mind if I cheat a little."

Peach stared at the flowing beam of energy with eyes wide, as sweat began to drop from her forehead. Waving her hands in a 'no no' manner, the princess in pink began to move backwards slowly. Morta approached her dauntingly as she brandish her beam blade, chortling all the while.

"And by the by, I wear pink _waaaaay_ better than you do!" Morta claimed, which made Peach puff up her cheek with anger.

"What!? How dare you!?" she shouted as she dropped down to the ground, pulling out yet another turnip.

And, just as before, instead of an actual turnip coming out with Peach's hands, the princess pulled out a beam sword of her own. She stared at the weapon with eyes wide, while Morta could only gaze at it with her mouth agape.

"What. The. Hell?" Morta replied, "You can pull out Beam Swords out of the ground!? Who pulls out Beam Swords out of the ground!?"

"Who keeps live Bomb-omb in their pockets!?" Peach retorted.

"Sh-shut up! YEEEEEAAAAAAWWWW!"

Looking like a madwoman, Morta ran towards Peach with her Beam Sword at the ready. The pink princess merely grasped her sword with two hands, as if waiting for her opponent. When Morta swung, Peach swung as well, and their blades crashed into one another. Morta quickly pulled back her hand, as she began to rapidly slash forth in a fury. Each slash was blocked by Peach, who merely kept her beam sword up.

"Why! Don't! You! Just! DIIIIEEEEEEE!? Wha?"

Peach's hand just moved forward, grabbing Morta by the shoulder. The little harlot was taken off guard by the action, as she was suddenly pulled forward. Pulled forward into Peach's _butt_ of all place. It wasn't as soft or as tender an intersection as one may suspect too. No, no, an _explosion_ ripped out.

"Offa!?"

Morta was flung back by the explosion, crashing once again into the ground. Only now, her Beam Sword no longer worked. The handle was cackling, electricity sparking within. When she reached for her Beam Sword, Peach's heel suddenly slammed on it, barring it from her touch. Morta looked up to Peach, specifically into the princesses glaring eyes.

"Ah he heh... is it too late to convert to the good side?" Morta asked in a sarcastic manner, while Peach's eyes slid into a glare.

"It's too late for you!" Peach replied.

"Oh the contrary, Princess," Morta said as her hand slid into her pockets once again, "I still have a few trump cards left in my sleeve," when her hand pulled out, Peach wilted. It was an Assist Trophy, "Like so!"

The Assist Trophy whipped open right at Peach's feet, a powerful force blowing her away. She fell onto her back, wincing in pain with eyes closed. When they opened, what sat before her was beyond Peach's wildest imaginations. It was a large brain-like creature, sitting within a cracked jar. It's size was comparable to Bowser's own size, no, perhaps even larger. Spikes shot out of the brain's pulsating body, electricity surging through each pole. For sight, it owned one, powerful red eye.

Peach sat in horror of the creature, crawling backwards on her butt as it glared down towards her.

"Waaaa ha ha ha!" Morta laughed as she stood atop the brain in a jar, "Destroy her, Mother Brain! Destroy her!"

From the eye of this monstrosity – dubbed Mother Brain – a multicolored beam shot out. Said beam slammed on the ground right before Peach's feet, turning concrete into dust with its awesome power. One could only imagine what that would do to someone's flesh.

Peach scurried on the ground to escape the vibrant beam, while small disc-shaped blasts appeared around Mother Brain's body. She sent these glowing disks into various directions, slamming into walls, the ground, and some flying into the sky. One of these disks flew straight towards Peach herself, coming dangerously close to striking her in the back.

 _PLINK!_

Thankfully, it never happened.

Marth's blade deftly caused the blade to ricochet, as he slid between the blast and Peach. She stopped and faced him, an appreciative smile sitting on her face.

"Thanks Marth," she said, "It almost got me."

"Just stand back, Princess," he said as he narrowed his eyes towards the monster before them, "I'll deal with it."

Mother Brain's eye began to glow again, before it shot out a wicked beam. Marth dashed to oppose said beam, not caring for its might nor its power. With the Falchion laying in a horizontal manner, Mother Brain's beam slammed into his blade. The might of his holy sword was enough to keep the beam from touching skin, but not much else. Marth grunted as he held his stance, failing to budge the beam an inch. He could also feel his arms growing weak, as Mother Brain's power constantly battered down his own.

"Come on!" he growled under his breath, "Come on! I can't afford to loose!"

But victory wouldn't be his today. With one powerful thrust, the beam was enough to not only shake his guard, but to knock him away. Falchion was thrown from his grip, falling into the ground – blade first – near Peach's head. She gasped at the sight, while Marth slid near right beside her.

Mother Brain's eye began to glow again, as she stared down upon Peach and Marth. The Hero-King and the Princess of Toadstool began to fret, though Marth attempted to keep a level head. Well, he attempted to _show_ he was keeping a level head.

"Marth," Peach said, fear on her face as Mother Brain's attack was just about to fly.

"Just..." he replied as he began to clutch her close, "Just... close your eyes..."

Eyes falling to the Falchion near them, Marth pulled the blade back into his hands. He was sure – with his failing strength and Mother Brain's power – that his defensive gesture would prove fruitless. Another beam like that, and he was sure to falter.

A pulsating throb shook through Mother Brain's body, and she shot out her beam. Marth watched in slow motion as it approached him, light focusing only on the alien's otherworldly beam. He held out Falchion in a defensive manner once more, having relented to his fate.

Only for a certain blonde-haired young man to slide in the way. Mother Brain's beam slammed into Cloud's Buster Sword, the blonde holding off the blast with all his might. Unlike Marth, he had an easier time holding off her attack. Even the final push from Mother Brain wasn't enough to launch the blade from Cloud's hands. Still, the blonde-haired young man knelt down on one knee after the attack, breathing hard as he stared ahead to the alien.

"I _reeaaally_ should cast Protect right about now," Cloud sarcastically commented, before standing up straight with vigor, "Are you two alright back there?"

Marth was simply too stunned to say a word, but Peach quickly reacted.

"Yes! We're great! Thanks, Cloud!"

"No problem," he replied, before holding his sword horizontally with his body "Alright!"

His entire body began to shine a blue color, a sight Morta rose an eyebrow to.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Breaking the limits..."

Cloud leaped sky high then, his sword now resting on his shoulder. Grabbing it with two hands, he spun his blade around in a circle, then performed a slash in mid-air. From his blade – and in quick succession – six meteors covered in swirling fire flew towards Mother Brain. Now it was Morta's turn to watch an attack fly towards her in slow motion.

"WHAT IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING RIGHT NOW!?" she cried, before jumping off of Mother Brain at just the perfect time.

A wicked explosion rumbled out from where Mother Brain once stood, a swath of fiery destruction carved into the earth. The flames and explosions covered Mother Brain whole, while Cloud landed back down onto the ground. When the flames subsided, Mother Brain was gone. Instead replaced with a tiny trophy variation of herself, which was marred with dust and scratches.

Morta shivered in fear as she had her head to the ground, slowly turning around. Cloud was still there, his blade resting on his shoulder, his cold blue eyes glaring towards her. Marth breathed in and out heavily as he looked at the young man, before shifting his attentions to Peach. She was staring back at him, and their eyes met. A silence overcame them for a few moments, before they slowly pulled away from one another.

"Are you okay?" Peach and Marth said in unison, before smiling at their combine words.

"It's good to see you two are fine," Ike said as he poked between the two, his hands sitting on each one of their shoulders, "But before we start kissing here, let's finish things up, okay?"

Morta stared up with absolute horror now, as she now came face to face with not only Cloud, but so too Marth, and Ike, and Peach. Not one of them appeared too happy with the pink she-devil and her malicious ways.

"Uh... well then... oh my... I seem to be out of Assist Trophies at the moment," Morta said with a forced giggle to mask her fear, "Can I get a rain check on this battle, hm?"

"Not likely," Cloud said as he pulled back his sword again.

Before he got a chance to attack, a lightning bolt slammed down into the earth before him. Cloud leaped back, while Dr. Mario leaped between him and Morta. The pink sadist laughed as her savior appeared, quickly running up and grabbing upon his body. Dr. Mario didn't even seem to care, as he retained his powerful glare.

"Haaaa, doctor," Morta said, as she stared ahead to the group who glared back at them, "I do think we should skedaddle. After all, there are four of them and only two of us. And three of them have swords. Two of them have really _big_ swords... big big swords..."

Dr. Mario stared back at Morta, then two Cloud, Ike, Marth and Peach. While he didn't want to admit it, his partner had a point. There were only two of them, and four of them. Three of which with swords. Two of them with really really big swords.

Dr. Mario didn't like it; giving up like this. He'd gladly keep fighting, as he knew they'd only face each other later on. Besides, their troubles would merely grow if he didn't nip this rebellion in the bud right now. But there wasn't much he and Morta could do. They'd surely be defeated by their combined might, and then their plans would fail regardless. Better to live and fight another day.

Still, his eyes shifted towards Marth, a gaze the Hero-King noticed. He stared into Dr. Mario's eyes, noticing a cackle of electricity. It was a most eerie and ominous feeling.

Morta suddenly pulled a Warp Star out from her pockets, one that enlarged right before she and Dr. Mario. Unwilling to simply watch his foes escape, Cloud quickly dashed for him. He was just able to leap in midair, when the Warp Star took off. His blade came just a few inches shy of striking the star, and ending their escape.

Everyone watched as Morta and Dr. Mario flew away, eventually vanishing into the distance aboard their high-flying Warp Star. No one said a word at the sight, as all were still pretty tense from the battle. Peach broke down first, leaning over as she exhaled deeply.

"And this – ha! – is why – fuu! – I don't fight like you all do," she claimed as she continued to breath deeply, "This is _far_ too tiring for me..."

It had stopped raining.

…

He couldn't sleep. Don't get me wrong, he _tried_ to sleep, he just couldn't do it. A strange mixture of emotions sat within the young king's mind, which made it impossible for him to close his eyes. When he closed his eyes, he felt like a failure. It would make him open his eyes. When he closed his eyes again, he would see a certain princess naked. That made him open his eyes fast. When he closed his eyes a third time, he'd see a certain princess again.

 _Dead_...

Perhaps that's why he was doing what he was doing. Instead of resting – like he should be doing wisely – he stood outside. Falchion rested within his hands, obeying his every whim. He was a masterful swordsman, easily capable of wielding the blade like a cheerleader would wield a baton. However, his dancing was far more frenetic, far more serious in tone and in style. Practicing and honing his body for attacks in the future, so that today's failure would never repeat itself.

His body showed signs of fatigue however, while the moon hung up high. His practicing was more of a detriment to him than an aid, as he weakly clung to consciousness. While he wished for sleep – yearned for it even – he simply could not bring himself to finding rest. Not without his own failures on mind. Not without the prospect of Peach on his mind. Not without the idea of _losing_ Peach in mind.

What was wrong with him? Why was he thinking this way about the princess? Was it because he laid her protection with him? No, it was more than that. He wasn't some mere bodyguard to protect Peach; she had already proven herself perfectly capable of defending herself. Then why did he _care_ as hard as he did? It wasn't simply because it was the _right_ thing to do, because then why was he having such dreams about her? Why did he feel the need to have Peach watch him in his fights? Why did he feel the need to outperform Cloud for her attentions? Why? Simply... _why_?

"Why...?"

"Marth?" a certain voice rang.

The Hero-King tensed up, blushing from embarrassment as his secret training was interrupted. He turned around to face one of the buildings, watching as Peach pulled herself from it. Gone were her royal garbs, replaced instead with simple pink pajamas, with stars imprinted upon some of them. Despite her royal status, she could really appear to be childish, it would seem.

Peach gave a hard yawn before rubbing her eyes, walking closer towards a still standing Marth. When her blue eyes opened, they did so with sparkles, which only accentuated her appearance. Peach was clearly drowsy, probably awoken by Marth's feral grunts and sounds. He tried to hide it, but the pink princess was smart enough to tell what he was doing.

"H-hey, what's going on?" she asked before yawning again, "What? Were you training?"

"Uh... yeah," Marth said as he tried to save face, sheathing Falchion as he did so, "I was practicing."

"Why's that?"

"Because... I need to get stronger."

"You need to get stronger?" Peach repeated, before raising an eyebrow, "Well that seems pretty pointless. You seem pretty strong to me."

"What?" he replied, before taking a face as if he were insulted, "What are you getting at, Lady Toadstool? I'm not 'pretty strong'..." he looked away from her, "Remember what happened earlier? How can I be 'pretty strong'..."

"Speaking about what happened earlier," Peach said as she approached him, putting a smile on her face, "Thank you, Marth."

Her statement confused him, as Marth didn't feel as if he was worth thanking. After all, he almost failed in protecting not only her, but himself as well. Had it not been for Cloud, they probably wouldn't be standing here right now.

"Don't thank me, Lady Toadstool," he said in a defeated manner, "I... almost failed you... I _did_ fail you."

"You didn't fail me," Peach said as her hand slid gently into his hand, clutching it ever so softly, "You did everything in your power to protect me, Marth. I couldn't ask for anything more of you."

"But-"

"Please! Marth!" she shouted, silencing him, "Please... stop beating yourself up for my sake. You're far too hard on yourself. That was Mother Brain. An enemy that gives Samus of all people trouble. And you withstood against her attack with your sword. Even if you feel as if you're not strong enough, I think you're... well..." she smiled, "You were _amazing_ in your fight. I watched you as you fought Dr. Mario. I stole glances every now and then. I don't know why, and that was pretty stupid of me. That little girl could have hit me at any moment, but I couldn't help but to watch. You fight... you fight in a way unlike any other, Marth. How does one do what you do? You're like a warrior with the finesse of a dancer. And with such a kind..." she placed her hand on his chest, "gentle heart..."

"Lady Toadstool..."

"Please, Marth, please. For _me_. Stop calling me 'Lady Toadstool'. Please... just call me Peach. Princess Peach."

"Lady..." he stopped himself, " _Princess_ Peach..." he took in a deep breath, "All I want to do is protect you."

"You're so silly," she replied, "I don't remember saying that I _needed_ protection. I suppose heroes like you just love saving the damsel in distress, huh? Considering my rapsheet... I don't think I'm really in a position to argue with it. Marth..."

"Yes... Princess..."

Her face moved near his, before sliding to the side.

"Thank you for being such a hero. _My_ hero..."

And he felt her lips press upon his cheek. His eyes closed shut, as he focused on the kiss she gave him. This kiss was far longer than the one she gave him before though. She seemingly sat there on his cheek for an eternity, before finally pulling back. He clutched his hand on his cheek from where Peach kissed him, his eyes meeting hers. And those sparkles...

"We should really get some sleep, Marth," Peach said as she began pulling him back towards their resting quarters, "After all, we have to make our way to Ganondorf's domain in a timely fashion. I don't know what they're doing in that bubble, but I can assume it's not good."

"Well, Ike said if we take transportation, we'll be at Ganondorf's in about a week. But I can't imagine what transportation we'd find at this moment and all the way out here."

"Transportation?" Peach repeated before coming to a halt.

She stared across the street to a motorcycle belonging to a certain blonde-haired young man. A mischievous smile appeared on her lips then, one hidden from view.

"I think we just found it."

…

"What the actual hell," Cloud said as he stared dead ahead to nothing. Absolutely nothing. That was the problem; there was supposed to be something here. But there was nothing. More specifically there was no motorcycle.

"Where is it!?" shouted the SOLDIER, as he searched the immediate area for his motorcycle.

The morning sun laid overhead, but that did very little for his emotional state. His usually stoic demeanor was replaced with rage and confusion, as he searched the abandoned town block for his vehicle, only to come up empty handed. Ike watched him do so with his arms crossed, shaking his head to and fro.

"I can't believe it," Cloud said as he put two and two together, his rage diminishing, "Peach and Marth stole my bike."

"Wasn't your bike stolen in the first place?" Ike asked as he walked up to Cloud's side, his eyebrow raised.

"That's besides the point," Cloud replied, "That was _my_ bike! My bike!... I'm surprised she can even drive the darn thing, because I know for a fact it isn't Marth controlling it."

"I hear Princess Peach drives motorcycles all the time at the Mushroom Kingdom..." Ike said in an offhanded manner, "Oh the weird things royalty do."

"So now what?" Cloud asked.

"Now? We walk."

* * *

 _Maverick Talks!_

 _What do you do after reading a long chapter? Just lean back and try to catch your breath? Here, let me sit with you and speak some calm, soothing words._

 _Usually, I try to stray away from writing chapters so long. I post them in separate parts, just so I can give people the time to breath. After all, ten thousand words is a lot of words for a chapter._

 _As I've stated before, I started writing this story as a gift for a friend. I figured it was good enough to post on its own, which is why I'm doing it, ya'know? I was going to split this chapter up for you guys, but I got lazy and was like 'eh, screw it', and posted it as is. As you can obvious tell._

 _Anyway, this chapter was a blast to write. I started this while I was playing through FFVII, so Cloud makes some references to the game. One of them is when Cloud destroys Mother Brain at the very end; he uses one of his Limit Breaks, called Meteor Rain. It happens to be one of my favorites too. Cloud also references the boss Carry Armor from FFVII. A very annoying boss. Ugh..._

 _Really, it's just cool to see all these characters interact with one another. What do you guys think? All the references too. Marth references Hardin in this chapter when he talks about taking down 'Dark Emperors'._

 _Also, there's a lot of action. Marth, Ike, Peach and Cloud versus Dr. Mario, Morta, Shadow Lucina and Shadow Falco. I actually remade this battle in Smash 4 8-Player battle. It was glorious. I also love the way Marth and Cloud have themselves a good old fashion dick measuring contest while they're battling Primids. Just trying to one-up one another. Ya'know; cuz dudes. It makes Ike come off as the most calm out of everyone here, really._

 _Weird._

 _Anyway, you guys, I think that's about it for today. The next chapter, Marth and Peach continue their adventure, making way for Ganondorf in the far, far distance. I wonder what kind of trouble these two will get into..._

 _Awwwww, Marth is so jealous! It's so cute!_

 _Maverick Kay Prime_


	5. Onett Nights

Shadows of Subspace #5

Onett Nights

"Lucas! Lucas! Lucas! Wake up now boy!"

Ever so gently, blue eyes opened up. He couldn't see much in his current state, as everything was a strong blur. He rubbed his eyes gently, diminishing the blur, and allowing himself to see. Around him laid his bedroom; clothes laid on the ground, random nick-nacks rested on his drawers and such, along with various movie posters resting on the walls. This was the bedroom of a little boy indeed.

The young blonde pulled up as he gave a yawn, his eyes combing his immediate bedroom. Slowly pulling himself out of his bed, he landed on a ground with a minute _thud_ , then rolled over onto his back. Raising his index finger, the young boy emitted a series of hexagon-shaped sparks, and trailed them around in an 'O' shape.

"Lucas! Lucas! C'mon! Get downstairs!" that voice from before rang.

"Coming dad!" he replied.

He ran out the room with energy in his step rumbling down the steps at quick speeds. He fell on the last one though, tripping up and landing face-first in the ground. There was a loud _THUD!_ as he crashed into the ground, which was answered with an 'aiaiai'. The blonde-haired boy pulled up, gazing towards the face of his father.

He was an older, cowboy-looking, haggard man. Dressed in a brown vest, plaid yellow undershirt, and a red scarf around his neck. He walked up to his sun, crouching down near his side with a hat that concealed view to his eyes. Lucas looked up to the man, and put on a smile. The man – in turn – removed his hat, and smiled back.

Father and son. Sure, they looked somewhat different from one another, but they held the same gleam in the eye.

"Welp boy, we gotta tend to the sheep today," his father said as he stretched up, "Go and get washed. We can't dilly-dally no further; ya'know that."

"Yeah pa, I know," Lucas said as he stood up onto his feet, giving a stretch as he did so.

"Then let's go," his father said, "Tonight, we'll head to the restaurant too. Get us some good eaten."

"Yeah!"

His father smiled, giving a nod with his head as well. Then he turned around, walking out of their home with his boots slamming against hard wood. Lucas stood up too, facing towards the bathroom of their home. He walked towards it, his footsteps growing slower and slower as he did so. It was weird, as he eventually came to a complete halt. And he stood there, doing nothing.

The young boy began to sweat profusely, gasp hard as well. Eyes closing shut, he tried to focus the rapid assortment of images that suddenly came to him. He could see so many things; a place called Onett, a man dressed like a black doctor, a swordsman with skilled moves, a sadistic little girl, a robot with burning yellow eyes, and a bone-dry _dragon_.

Then it all suddenly stopped. He looked around, the palm of his hand finding the temple on his head.

"Onett... Onett... Onett?" he repeated to himself over and over again, "Ness?"

…

He sat in a crouched position, an image of indifference sitting upon his face. He appeared so dissimilar to the lands around him; appearing like a knight from the Medieval ages. However, he _was_ a Medieval knight, if you could call him that. He preferred the term 'Lord' though.

Marth sighed as his nose rang with the smell of gasoline and summer winds. They drove all morning, not stopping until they reached the nearest living settlement. Such settlement happened to be a nice, quaint town, unassuming to the naked eye. A mixture of suburban life, with stores laden out of varying kinds. A perfect place to live, as nothing was too out of the way to get. In the distance – not too long from where Marth sat – laid a sign.

 _Onett_ it said.

"And... there!" Peach said as she pulled the gas nozzle out from the back of their motorcycle, a smile on her lovely face, "We've got a full tank again."

"Great, then we can continue," Marth said as he stood up, "We must make way for Ganondorf's castle, and sway him to our side."

Peach didn't respond immediately, instead pouting slightly with her lips. The gesture confused Marth, as he couldn't really understand why she was doing such a thing. He looked her up and down, taking particular note of Peach's clothing change. Ever since they decided to 'borrow' Cloud's motorcycle, Peach changed her clothing. Gone was the pink dress she usually wore, instead replaced with this pink and white leotard. It stuck to very form and contour of her body, much like Samus' own Zero Suit. But unlike Samus – whom Marth had always respected as a warrior – the Hero-King found himself being intrigued by Peach's sight. Especially how it formed around her – rather explosive – rear.

"We just can't leave," Peach claimed, confusing Marth quite a bit, "We still have so much to do before we reach Ganondorf."

"Like what, Peach?" Marth replied, trying his hardest to not let his annoyed face show, "What could we possibly do? We are working on a rather tight schedule right now; we can't waste time! It is of the essence."

"I know that," Peach replied, "But one of our missions – as you stated yourself – was to build an army. A union of heroes to help us take back Millennium Court and rescue our friends, am I right?" she then placed her hands on her hips, "Do you have any idea of where we are?"

"A small town by the name of 'Onett'," Marth said, not realizing the significance of the place, "I don't see what you're getting at, Princess."

"Onett. It's the home town of the PSI Powerhouse, Ness," Peach said, which only made the prince raise an eyebrow in further confusion, "Ness! Ness! The hero of Onett! He lives here! He has PSI powers! He has... like... a really killer arm in Baseball and a good swing! He was there when we fought Tabuu!"

"Really? The only boy I met during our Tabuu tenure was the blonde one with PSI powers... the Boy from Nowhere; what was his name?"

"Lucas," Peach said as she leaned up against their motorcycle, "Ness and Lucas. They're pretty good boys, if you ever get around to meeting one of them. Ness lives here, in Onett. I think he'd work wonders if we can get him to our side. Though, I don't think that'll be too hard."

Marth prepared to mount a counter argument of sometime. Something along the lines of 'we must make haste' or 'he is only a child', or something like that. But there was just something about Peach's stance that had him wavering, if ever so slightly. Perhaps it was that skin-tight uniform, which drew in his eyes. Perhaps it was just that pouting lip, that looked ever so cute. Or perhaps it was because she was the one driving the motorcycle, and without her aid, his quest would be even longer.

Yeah, it was that last one. That's what he told himself, anyway.

"Fine, Peach," Marth said, bringing a smile to her face, "We will add Ness to our corps... so long as his parents allow it," he looked around, "So... where is he in this town?"

"Well it's summer..." Peach claimed, "I can only assume he's doing what all little boys do around this time."

"And what's that?"

"I don't know... I've never been a little boy before," Peach replied before laughing, "I can only assume you would know a thing or two about being a little boy, though!"

"When I was a little boy..." Marth replied with a slight shrug, "I was constantly pampered by my kingdom, and spent many hours studying and studying. When my kingdom was taken over by Gra and I was forced into exile, I then spent the next few years planning my counterattack to take my castle back..." he then looked back to Peach, who had a dumbfounded expression, "Though... I think my upbringing and the upbringing of two little boys may be entirely different."

"You're upbringing is entirely different from mine, and we're both royalty," Peach claimed, before chuckling, "But it's alright. I suppose it would be kind of boring if we all grew up the same way... now, let's get on and find these two. It shouldn't be too hard."

Marth merely nodded, walking over to Peach as she mounted their motorcycle. He too was about to climb aboard the back of the vehicle, when a gasp echoed from across the gas station.

"Whoa! Is that sword real?"

Peach and Marth stared over to a group of children, enjoying their summer freedom with sports equipment in hand. Not one of them appeared to be Ness, just regular everyday kids. They gathered around Marth, gaping and gasping at the Falchion, and his weird dressing patterns. The Hero-King was taken aback by the sudden followers he had gained, and the constant barrage of questions they handed him.

"Is it real?"

"Where did you come from?"

"Why are you dressed that way?"

"I bet its fake!"

"Hey, is that Princess Peach?"

"This is real, its my Falchion! The legendary blade, and is not a fake! I come from Archanea! I dress this way because its the natural clothing of a Lord-class warrior! My sword is _not_ a fake! And please, stop touching me! Stop it! Stop it!"

Marth wasn't about to strike children – that would just be pure cruelty – but he still didn't like their evasive questions and their constantly touching of his body and clothes. Peach lounged on her motorcycle however, laughing as she watched his – rather poor – ability to deal with children. However, they did have a pretty blatant problem; they stuck out like a sore thumb in Onett's rather normal settings.

She immediately began combing the immediate area with her hand over her eye, humming to herself as she did so. The answer she sought eventually presented itself to her, making the princess smile, causing sparkles to bounce.

"P-P-Princess!? What are you doing? Where are we going!?" Marth asked as he was suddenly pulled elsewhere.

"Just come with me! Come with me!" she said over and over again, with this omnipresent smile on her face.

…

Naive. That's the term she would use to describe Marth. Sure, the Hero-King was smart, intelligent, very mature, and – of course – incredibly attractive, but he still had a very child-like way of doing things. Perhaps it was his stolen youth that made him the way he was today; his many years of fighting added to it. Whatever the case may be, Marth really had no idea what it was children do when growing up, other than studying and preparing armies. It would be so sad, if Peach wasn't busy abusing it for her own nefarious deeds. What kind of nefarious deeds? The kind that entails clothing.

"Princess Peach. Are you sure this is what boys do? Are you sure Ness will show up here of all places?"

The gentle music of the clothing store was rapidly growing grating on the Hero-King's mind, so too the many articles of clothing around. Hanging on racks, folded neatly atop one another and so forth. Not helping things were the female work attendants, who seemed to gape at him like the children earlier, only for different reasons.

Peach trailed through the store with various clothing items in her arms, constantly sprouting nonsense as she did so. She'd jump from one area to the next, picking up even more clothes of varying styles and such. Marth already had a full wardrobe back at his kingdom, so the added items were particularly unnecessary to him. But Peach said this was a good spot for Ness to show up, so he had little reason to leave.

"I'm pretty sure they'll show up sooner or later," Peach claimed as she wheeled around towards him, a smile on his face, "I'm pretty sure this is the only clothing store in town, so they'd have to show up here sooner or later."

"If you say so, Princess..." he mumbled, a slight tone of defeat following him.

Peach frowned a bit, feeling sorry for her actions. After all, Marth had no idea what she was really doing. She really just wanted to enjoy some time with him, of all things. All this adventuring around with him had opened up some sort of feelings for the Hero-King, though she wasn't sure what they meant. Not yet at least. Besides, this detour wasn't entirely pointless. Dressing him up in more modern clothing would help conceal them from any prying citizens.

And give her quite the eye-candy as well.

"Whoops..." Peach whispered to herself as a sizable blush appeared on her face.

"Is there something the matter, Peach?" he asked, making her smile.

"No, nothing's wrong," she replied, "Um... I got you some clothes!"

"But, Princess, I assure you my clothing is perfectly suited for our quest."

"Just get in, and put this on!" Peach said, not taking any form of 'no' for an answer.

Before Marth knew what was going on, he was stuck within the dressing room, the door closed behind him. He gazed around the silent chamber with a sense of confusion, wondering how he got pinned in such a situation. His eyes fell upon the mirror in the dressing chamber, taking note of his own face.

He then looked down to the clothing handed to him by, an eyebrow raised in confusion. Sitting it down on the one bench they had in this room, the Hero-King could only think about their situation. He kept his eyes on the clothing, while his mind wondered about their mission. Was it wise to keep wasting their time here? They should be driving off for Ganondorf at this very moment, not in this clothing store. But at the same time, he trusted Peach's direction; she wouldn't lead him astray.

"Haaaa... let's see..."

There were the pants things; they were dark blue. Jeans is what the tag called them, at least. There was this white button up shirt along with it as well, laying right on the top. Marth frowned a bit as he began to undress, quickly switching over into the new style of clothes. If there was any good to come of it, it was the weight. The Hero-King felt incredibly light with these new clothes, instead of his heavy Lord uniform. But he still wanted his cape.

"P-Princess?" Marth said as he pulled out from the dressing room in his clothing.

He got an eyeful of woman in this room; seriously, there wasn't another man in sight. They all stared at the young prince, who looked back with a face that simply said 'oh my'. Especially considering he got rather lazy with buttoning up his shirt and left it slightly open around the top, revealing his chest.

"Oh... h-hello," Marth said as he put on a forced smile, "Um... do any of you ladies know where my friend went?"

"Right over there, pretty boy," one of the women said in a lustful manner, as she pointed towards the dressing room besides him.

"Why thank you," he said as he carefully inched his way towards Peach's dressing room, pressing his back up against the door, "Peach! Peach! Um... I do think it should be time for us to leave this now. Princess? Princess?" the door opened slightly, "Princess, are you there?"

With the door opened ever so slowly, Marth didn't really think about what it was he was doing. When being put between a door and a group of starry-eyed woman, Marth naturally sought and escape. He did so by going into an even hotter din, it would seem.

"MARTH!? WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"

"No! Wait! Please understand! This isn't what I meant to happen!"

"Stop looking! Stop looking!"

He quickly turned around, his face a hot cherry red. He tried not to emote, but it was clear he was majorly flustered. He looked at the woman in the clothing store, before running out of the building at top speeds. He didn't even care that he hadn't bought the clothing he wore, he just really needed to get out of the room.

Marth quickly spun around the corner, running to the small alley between buildings, and pressing his back up against the brick wall. His face was still pretty red, his expression still one of shock and embarrassment. He wanted to close his eyes, but doing so only brought back the image he just witness. No, it wasn't a horrifying image; quite the opposite, in fact. It was just an image he hated thinking about.

This was lust. This was as bad as his dreams of her. No, this was worse. His dreams were at least his dreams. They were fake images produced by his mind that would go away with time. After all, dreams eventually fade as time goes on. But what he saw was real, burned into his mind to form a concrete memory. The image of Princess Peach in a dressing room, half-naked of all things. She wore nothing but her bra and panties, as she pulled on these new articles of clothing. In that very brief moment of time, he saw so much of the pink princess. The pure white undergarments she wore beneath her clothes, her perfect, flawless skin, and how ample her chest was, in comparison to her lithe and feminine body. Even right now – merely thinking about the sight – felt like an abhorrent insult not only to himself and his views,but also to Peach. Call him somewhat prudish, but it wasn't like him to lust after a woman's body. He never had the time to lust, even through that wondrous age of exploration.

And yet, he simply couldn't bring himself to _not_ think about Peach. When he blinked, that image came at him full force. Hell, just standing here, he simply found himself thinking about it. It disgusted him so much to show such a side of his being; he was better than this. As the Hero-King, he wasn't supposed to show off such a lustful – such a childish – side of him. And yet he couldn't help but to show it. He couldn't help but to imagine Peach in that state of undress. He couldn't help but to see her blue eyes, her puffy lips, her blonde hair, and her face, red with embarrassment. It was such a farcry from her usual girly ways.

"Urrrraaaaa..." he groaned, before his hands curled into fists. "Uuuuurraaaaa!"

He slammed his fits on the wall, causing a minor shake. Pulling back, he stared at his own hands; sometimes, he forgot his own strength. It didn't hurt him at all to punch the wall, but did form a few noticeable – but meaningless – cracks.

"Marth?"

Sometimes, he forgot how her voice sounded. When not looking directly at her, she really did sound, well, _heavenly_ , it would seem. Her voice was like a lofty light that brought life to darkness. Perhaps that's too melodramatic a statement, but it was the best way to describe it. Her voice – her appearance – was simply _heavenly_.

"Princess," Marth answered as he looked back at her.

The two shared a distinct blush on their face after what happened, and they averted their eyes. Peach gazed away, Marth looked down to her feet. And his eyes slowly moved up. She wore blue overalls like a certain plumber, with a pink undershirt. Her blue gem – the one that's present on nearly all of Peach's clothing – sat prominently on her chest as well.

"Um... I bought your clothes for you," she said, "Since you ran out of the building like you did... the... the cashier didn't seem to mind."

"Oh..." Marth said as he looked down, "S-sorry, Princess Peach... um..." he then performed a bow, "I'm doubly-sorry for what I did and what I saw. Could you find it in your heart to forgive me?"

He heard a warmhearted giggle emanate from the princess, which surprised him. When he pulled up, she was laughing at him, but not in a belittling way. It further confused him, as he expected rage from the princess.

"Marth," she said as she gently slid her hand into his, "You ask to be forgiven quite a lot. Have you noticed that?"

"I, uh... don't know what you mean," he replied with shrugging shoulders, "I... I don't say it _that_ much... do I?"

"Yes, you do," she said as their eyes met, "You apologize too much. Nothing like Toadsworth, that's for sure. Thanks for having my best interests in heart. I forgive you..." her eyes closed shut, "Though, it was partially my fault as well. The lock on the door was somewhat broken, but I figured it wouldn't make much of a difference. I could've prevented it, but I didn't... for that, I'm sorry."

"You shouldn't apologize," he said, "I walked in on you!"

"I know, I know, but I feel like I've been abusing your gentlemanly nature," Peach claimed as her laughter ceased, "But... hey..."

And then her eyes did something. Something Marth didn't expect, that made him cock his head. As they stared into each others eyes, Peach's eyes became far more _lustful_. In fact, her entire face became so _seductive_.

"So... did you _like_ what you saw?"

He didn't even have time to answer.

 _THONK!_

…

"Do you see this place? It's called Onett. It is the home of the famous PSI hero, Ness. Or, ya'know, so I've heard..."

He cared little for the lands they visited, nor the denizens they owned. He only cared for the princess and prince, whom they chased. Her words – while good to know – were ultimately useless to him. As the sun began to set at his back – and his eyes glazed over the mountainside – he cared only for completing their assignment.

"I'm just saying," Morta said as she shrugged her shoulders, "Isn't it obvious what Peach and Marth are doing now, Dr. Mario? They're here for a specific reason; none of them good. For us, anyway. You're a smart man; you should be able to put two-and-two together, if I've been able to do so. With Cloud and that hunk Ike earlier, isn't it obvious what they're doing?"

He glanced back at her, as she sat on a rock formation. A most insidious and sadistic smile sat on her face, and she chuckled as well. She was on his side, right? Then why did Dr. Mario feel as if she were trying to trip him up instead of them? It was just her ways, really; she really was deliciously malicious.

"We should really stop them, before their forces grow even stronger. It won't be too much longer before they return to Millennium Court. I assure you Ancient Minister will be angry."

"I am already angry," a robotic voice answered right over them.

The two stared up, watching as something descended upon them. It was garbed in a green cloak that covered every inch of its flying body, save for its eyes. And for eyes, it only owned two glowing lights.

"They are trying to grow in forces, are they not?" the Ancient Minister said as he came into their presence, garnering quite the snicker from Morta.

"They are," she said, "Mmm... it must be pretty serious if you're here. What, are your plans not going well inside the bubble?"

"Everything is going fine," said the Ancient Minister as he glared at her, "Despite your constant failures in stopping Peach and Marth, everything inside of the bubble is fairing far better. Soon, everything will fall in order. But we must stop them from gaining anymore strength."

"Yes, yes, we know," Morta said, face growing bored, "But that doesn't explain why you're here. Just to nag at us? Please tell me that's not the reason."

"I am here to give aid in capturing Marth and Peach," the Ancient Minister replied, "It is time we ended this. Now!"

The ground began to shake, as something began to walk towards them. Morta and Dr. Mario turned to face this being, while the Ancient Minister kept his eyes pinned on Onett below. Behind him, large beast with glowing yellow eyes appeared, and a purple haze hovering around its body. It was a turtle, with a demonic visage; the same face and image of a certain Koopa King.

"I went through the trouble of copying Bowser," said the Ancient Minister as the beast came to his back, "This one is far stronger than your usual false creations, as I infused with with stronger Shadow Bugs. They're is no way they will defeat us this time!"

…

He had a friend once. His friend told him that dreams are insight into one's soul. As the wise ruler he was – and the general schizophrenic nature of dreams anyway – the Hero-King simply played off the statement as nothing more than jest. But today – _tonight_ – he was beginning to think that statement was far more true.

He smelled sulfur and fire, and it flowed around him. He could hear the footsteps echoing in the fields around them. The clanks of armor as bodies shifted within, and the sounds of hoofed feet slammed against the ground.

He stood in the center of a dark forest, feet slowly sinking into mud. He could hear garrison units moving left and right, to and fro. It sounded as if knights were prepared to clash somewhere, though it was hard to tell where exactly. He must have stood in the heart of this madness, and all he could think about was...

 _The light._

He began moving, clutching the handle of Falchion close to hand. His light walking turned into jogs, which turned into a run and into a sprint. Madness oozed through the shadows of the forest, as he could hear nothing but people screaming. The Hero-King ran through the madness, as he could see something in the far distance. A glowing light; an sign of life. It felt as if things were pushing against him in his attempt to stop him, but he kept pushing, kept fighting, kept forcing his way through.

He reached out for the light, his hand grasping upon something soft. It was another hand that laid on the other end, the body constricted from view by the light itself. But it was a strong hand with a strong grasp, that pulled him on through the other end. All the troubles he felt were washed away as he fell forward.

"Ommph!?"

"Ow! Marth! Watch it!"

That voice was so heavenly, and calmed his wailing heart. The horrid nightmare he found himself in was cleansed, as he felt himself resting atop the body of another. He pulled up, realizing his hands laid upon the soft, green, grassy ground. Beneath his body – and pinned down by his hands – was a most beautiful sight.

A princess with blonde hair, blue eyes, puffy lips, and such soft features. She looked back at him with a face of concern, before taking a deep breath.

"Well then... it's nice to see you're alright, Marth," Princess Peach said with a smile, as she rested on the ground, "Haaa... I was beginning to worry about you.""

"Princess Peach..." he fell to the side of her, groaning as he laid on the ground, "Thank you."

"Thank you for what?" she replied as she turned on her side, gazing down upon him.

"For saving me."

She giggled, while her hand rested upon his chest. He felt her rub him through his clothing, which brought a calming echo over his body. She stared down upon him with her blue eyes, then closed said eyes. Lips pursing, she descended down upon him. He couldn't stop her from what she was about to do next, nor did he _want_ to.

But he had to stop her. He placed his hand on Peach's chest, stopping her in her tracks. She opened her eyes and gazed down upon him in a confused manner. The light at her back grew incredibly blinding.

Marth then said something, though it wasn't by his own fruition. He seemingly had an out of control situation, as he felt and heard himself saying.

"I love you..."

…

"Huh wha?"

Eyes snapped open, staring up to a white-plaster ceiling. His hand reached up to his head, as there was a powerful rumbling pain echoing through it. When he thought too hard, it would quake. Hell, just using it to stare was causing massive amounts of pain.

He touched his forehead, feeling something cold and wet touch back. He pulled back, realizing someone had put a cold wet napkin to his head; probably to help ease the pain he felt. It helped a little, but not enough.

"Ayyyyy... haaaa... urrrgggrrr... where am I?" Marth asked as he pulled up to stare around the room he laid in.

It was a small, fairly modern, but simply basic bedroom. A TV sat before him, along with a table, various other pink-colored furniture pieces, and about two windows. More over, he couldn't see anyone in the immediate room; it was just him.

The Hero-King pulled himself out of the pink-colored bed he rested in, his eyes moving over to the windows in the room. Walking to one, he stared out to see nothing but the night sky over a quite town. Lights were on in various buildings, but not enough to ruin the star-lit sky that sat just above him.

Marth leaned up against the wall, his hand on his head. It was hard to tell if this was another dream or not. He woke up in such a weird place, but he still wore the clothing he put on at the store. Also, Peach was nowhere to be seen; he was all alone in this room.

Marth staggered as he made way towards the only door in this room, slumping up against it with his head still throbbing. The Falchion laid just beside the door, still sheathed. He grabbed the blade gently, holding it briefly, before resting it on the wall once more. Then he pushed through the door, entering into a dark hall. Walking down the hall, the Hero-King stared around the quaint building he was in, before coming to the staircase. Walking down the staircase, he finally found lights as he got further and further down. He came out into another hall, with a light at the very end. Ever so gently, the Hero-King walked towards the light, feeling the thumping pain in his head diminishing.

He stepped into a kitchen of all places, with the powerful lights nearly blinding him. Gazing ahead, he looked towards a blonde-haired woman in a red dress. Her back was to him, and she appeared to be washing dishes. He approached this woman with his hand stretched out, then rested it upon her shoulder.

"Peach," he whispered.

"Hm?" was his response.

Slowly, the woman whom he grabbed turned around. And, hey, she is a woman with blonde hair and blue eyes; that's pretty much where all similarities left. This woman was older than Peach, for one thing. Hey, don't get it twisted; she was still relatively attractive. But in the 'motherly' kind of way. Marth had heard women like her called 'milfs' though he had no idea what the term meant. And – wisely enough – he knew not to say it.

Still didn't stop him from blushing like a fool, as he realized he mistook this woman for someone else. He covered his face then wilted a bit, before putting on a smile and a laugh.

"S-s-sorry, Madame!" he said as he laughed some more, "Umm... I... I mistook you for someone else!"

"I can see that," said the woman in a red dress, as she put on a smirk, "It's nice to see our special guess isn't in some sort of coma. Sometimes, I begin to wonder if I should spank Ness for the things he does!"

"Ness?" Marth repeated, shock on his face, "Ness? Do... do you know Ness? Wait..." the thought about it briefly, "Is Ness your son?"

"Yes, he is," said the woman before him, "Nice to meet you, King Marth. My name's Ana," she wiped her wet hands clean on her apron, then stretched out a hand, "Nice to meet you, Mister... king... lord... sir, or whatever."

"Please, Madame Ana, just call me Marth," he replied as he calmed down, "And doubly sorry for my approach earlier. I mistook you for my partner... in fact..." he looked around, "Where is she?"

"You mean Princess Peach, right?" Ana said before shaking her head, "Jeeze, the people my son brings home..." she then pointed out the kitchen to the doorway to her right, "She's in the living room; it's right over there."

Marth looked to the door, then back to Ana, then back to the door, and back to Ana. Giving a courteous bow, he then made way for the doorway, stepping out into the dimly-lit living room of Ana's home. The only light that came in through the area was from the TV, as it buzzed with information of a video game. A video game that appeared to not be too flattering.

"C'mon! I am not that fat!" Peach cried as she clutched in her hands a Gamecube controller, "I can't believe they messed up my looks this much! I swear, these Kart racing games are just... ugh!"

"Ah-ha!"

Marth rose an eyebrow, as he watched Princess Peach on her knees before the TV, still wearing the overalls he last saw her in. She appeared frustrated as she stared at the TV, as a boy behind her sat on the living room couch. He too had a Gamecube controller in his hands, while his eyes laid on the TV before him. He was a young boy, perhaps thirteen or fourteen in age. His hair was black, his eyes a heavily dark-blue color; nearing appearing black. He wore a blue and yellow striped shirt, with baggy blue shorts on. And – of course – this nearly iconic red hat sat on his head.

Ness stared over to his right ever so briefly, eyes falling on Marth. He paused the game he and Peach were playing, making the princess in pink pout her lips. When she turned to face Ness, her eyes instead fell on Marth, who gazed back. A big smile quickly appeared on her lips, and she shot up like lightning. Before Marth knew it, she was hugging him close.

"Ah! Marth!" she gasped happily, making a blush form on his face as the lights were turned on, "I'm so happy to see you're awake!"

"Th-thank you, Peach," Marth said as Peach pulled back, "Um... do you mind explaining to me just what happened?"

"Oh, right," Peach said, before entering a thoughtful pose, "Let's see... what do you remember?"

"I remember exiting the clothing store after seeing you," he froze up as it hit him, and grew silent, "Yeeeaaaaahhh... after that..." he looked away with a blush, "And then... I don't know; did something hit me on the head?"

Now it was Ness' turn to blush as he chuckled with embarrassment.

"Ness was playing a game of Baseball not too far from us," chuckled Peach with a smile, "He happened to hit a ball that struck you right on the head. Knocked you clean out too. When he came back to get his ball, he found us. I described the situation we were in and he seems more than happy to lend a helping hand. Isn't that right, Ness?"

"Okay!" he replied with a nod as he leaped off from his couch, his hands finding his hips.

"Wait, you already described it all to him?" Marth said, "The attacks? Millennium Court? Our mission?"

"Well I couldn't just wait around for you! You were knocked out!" Peach said before crossing her arms, "Besides, I think I'm better with the whole 'talking' thing in comparison to you."

"You even convinced Mrs. Ana to let him aid us?"

"I couldn't sway Ness' mind if I could," Ana said as she exited from the kitchen behind him, "My son has a mind of his own. Besides..." she sat down on the couch, "He knows what he's doing. I have trust in my son."

Suddenly, the door to the building opened, which shocked everyone. At the entrance of the building was a blonde-haired little girl, with blue eyes much like Ness and Ana's. She wore red overalls and a white undershirt, and her blonde hair was done into pigtails. She walked into the building with her eyes on her phone, absorbed into the device in her hand.

"Tracy!" Ana said as she faced her child, "Where have you been? It's late! I expect Ness to stay out this long, not you!"

"Oh, sorry mommy!" Tracy – Ness' younger sister – said as she stared up to her phone, "I was just working around town today and things got kinda outta hand. Sorry about that!" she then walked through the room towards Peach and Marth, who stared down to her with faces of confusion, "Um... you're Princess Peach and king-dude-guy Marth, right?"

The two looked at one another, then back down to her.

"Yes," they said in unison.

"There's some man outside who want to have a talk with you."

"A man outside?" Peach repeated, before looking up to Marth, "But... no one knows we're here, right?"

"I haven't told anyone... have you?"

"N-no," she replied, "And I don't think he's talking about anyone from Onett or Eagleland or something like that... no, you don't think-"

"He looks like a _doctor_..." Tracy said, as she performed hand gestures around her chest and head, "Ya'know, with the... thing and the... ya'know what I'm talking about, right? Those things they have."

"Dr. Mario," Marth growled, as his face grew serious and rage peppered his voice.

"Is there something wrong?" Ana asked as she stood up, growing worried as she scanned Peach and Marth's face.

"Um... no," Peach said in a crestfallen manner, "M-Mrs. Ana, please, you and Tracy stay inside."

"What is going on?" Ana asked.

Marth quickly ran back upstairs, returning to the room he awoke in. Upon doing so, he grabbed his blade that laid against the wall. Clutching it in hand, he made way back downstairs with his face serious. He looked at everyone, who scanned his serious face. Saying nothing, he quickly made way outside.

Walking upon the front porch of Ness' home, Marth gazed dead-ahead through the small yawn. Standing at the entrance through the fence to the yawn, was a man in pitch-black doctor garbs with his arms behind his back. He slowly looked up with his murderous blue eyes, glaring towards Marth who stood with blade in hand.

"Dr. Mario," Marth said as he unsheathed his blade, "I suppose this meeting was bound to happen after your escape. This time..." his eyes slid into a deadly glare, "I'll be sure to aim for your _head_."

As usual, Dr. Mario said nothing. He merely dropped his hands to his sides, then curled them into fists. Electricity flowed through his limbs, even surging through his eyes as well. Quickly readying his hands into a fighter's pose, the pure power running through Dr. Mario caused his black scrubs to bounce.

At this point in time, there didn't appear to be Morta with Dr. Mario, or any other sort of demonic figure for him to summon. Marth didn't care though, as he had his opponent dead in his sights. He suddenly dashed for him, the Falchion held firm in is grasp. Dr. Mario held his position however, merely waiting for the Hero-King to get closer. When Marth was only a foot away, he pulled his blade back for a stab, and Dr. Mario pulled his fist back to punch.

"HEEEEEYYYY!" a cry suddenly echoed between the two, making them come to a complete halt.

They turned around to face the entrance to Ness' home, where Ana stood at the entrance. And, boy, did her face _screamed_ bloody-murder.

"If you two are going to fight, take it somewhere other than my lawn," she snarled, "Or. Else."

Marth had faced dragons, evil emperors, and demons of varying kinds. And yet, this mother of two with her face the way it was now, simply made the others pale in comparison. It appeared to do the same for Dr. Mario, who gazed at her with equal amounts of fear

Wisely enough, the two silently agreed to take their fight elsewhere.

…

The front of the Drug Store. How many battles had been had here? It was a battleground that appeared to hold more weight to it than it appeared. It laid right near a busy street, where cars would _usually_ be driving left and right. But right now, no vehicles peppered the streets, and all appeared calm.

Dr. Mario stood on one side of the building, with Marth standing at the other. The Hero-King still wore the clothes Peach picked out for him, having not changed back into his Lord clothes. It was something he realized when he came to the battlefield, but not something he worried about. The anger he felt towards Dr. Mario was enough to make him forgo the need to change.

Then again, he actually had no idea _what_ Peach actually did with his clothes.

Marth nor Dr. Mario moved as they stared at one another, merely sizing their opponent up. Marth had calmed down since earlier; stopping himself from rushing in like a fool. Falchion laid firm in his grasp, with him tightening it quite a bit. Electricity cackled from Dr. Mario's fist, while he glared back.

"Who are you?" Marth asked, as he couldn't really find an opening in Dr. Mario's stance, "Where did you come from? You're clearly not the Mario who is so well-known and well-loved in our world! You're just some sort of... some sort of _monster_..." he took in a deep breath, "And yet... you look so _familiar_... as if we've _met_ before..."

Dr. Mario said nothing of course, as he merely glared at Marth. He ignored the Hero-King's words, before biting his lip. It was time to press the offensive.

The dark prescriber suddenly ran at Marth, electricity coursing through his hands and eyes. The Hero-King watched his movements, and grunted in response. Dr. Mario came to his side, thrusting his palm forward with electricity flying. Marth leaped back, then quickly stabbed forward with his blade. Dr. Mario sidestepped the blow, then slid away. As he moved away in escape, he threw a few pulsating blasts of electricity, which Marth slapped away with his blade. Then he leaped into the air with swift speed, his blade slashing down upon Dr. Mario. The doctor pulled out his sheet and swung it, blowing Marth away and deflecting his sword stab.

The Hero-King skidded to a halt near the Drug Store, still clutching his blade in hand. Dr. Mario took in a deep breath, as he and his opponent were back at first base. At this point, Marth began to question his attire. The jeans he wore were incredibly tight around his legs and waist, giving him less amounts of movement. It was a most weird article of clothing.

"Alright," he said to himself, "En guarde!"

Marth ran at Dr. Mario this time, his blade swinging in a skillful manner. Twice he performed a vertical slash, all while approaching Dr. Mario closer and closer. The Dark Prescriber avoided both slashes by walking backwards, and even ducked the sudden horizontal slash aimed for his head. Then he countered with his fist launching up, striking Marth in the chin and sending him flying back. The powerful uppercut rumbled through Marth's body, as he found his back pressed to the wall.

Dr. Mario cracked the bones in his neck nonchalantly, before approaching Marth again. The Hero-King gritted his teeth at the sight, before dashing towards Dr. Mario with little time to spare. They entered a furious display of assault, as Marth's slashes constantly aimed for killing blows, only to miss. At the same time, Dr. Mario would try his best to counter, only to miss with each assault.

Eventually, the two found themselves at a lost, as they were completely equal. This infuriated not just Dr. Mario, but Marth as well. He couldn't believe that his skills – the impeccable top of swordsmanship – could be matched by this evil version of Mario. Perhaps he was being cocky, but one does not unite their war-torn country with kind words alone. One does not defeat evil demigods and dragons with their negotiating skills! Dr. Mario should be a peon to him, not an equal.

"Perhaps I underestimated you, doctor," he said, as he calmed himself, "You clearly have the power to match the man you so shamelessly imitate. But I must end this now, you see. I will protect the castle and..." his eyes settled into glare, "You will not harm Peach..."

Even Dr. Mario was taken aback by that last statement, which seemingly came from nowhere. Marth himself didn't realize what he had said, until he felt a slight ping in his heart. It came from nowhere, and seemingly dazed him. He placed his hand on his chest in a moment of weakness; Dr. Mario acted upon that weakness.

He quickly dashed for Marth, as he came to realize his mistake. A sudden surge of electricity would end the Hero-King, or at least wound him grievously. All Marth could think about though, was why? Why Peach? Why was she the last thing he was thinking of at this moment? Why that dream? Why did he say what he said? It was the most vivid dream he had ever had in his life, and would be his last _memory_ as he watched the lightning surge.

"PK FIRE!"

Dr. Mario flinched, and so too did Marth. A blast of fire suddenly came from nowhere, slamming the ground where Dr. Mario stood. An explosion echoed out, pushing Dr. Mario away from Marth, and forcing the Lord to jump back as well. He looked over to his right, as a young boy riding a walking _table_ suddenly appeared.

His hands were crossed over one another, hexagon-shaped sparkles emitting from his palms. Then he looked over to Marth, his blue eyes shining.

"King Marth!" Lucas said as he jumped off of his walking table, "I'm sorry! I got here as fast as I could!"

"Lucas? What are you doing here? How'd you even-"

"I had it in a vision!" Lucas said as he ran up to his side, "I had it in a vision! I saw you! I saw you fighting him! I saw a dragon! And I saw-"

 _BWEAM! BWEAM! BWEAM!_

Three twin blasts of light suddenly slammed into the ground, causing minute explosions. It shook the two, and cut short their conversation. Lucas and Marth gazed towards Dr. Mario, then stared up to where the blasts came from. Descending upon them was a being in a green cloak, with glowing yellow eyes. Lucas shook at the sight of the creature, as he began walking backwards in fear. Sitting above the descending robot was a certain pink-haired girl, who sat at the edge of the Drug Store itself. She snickered and laughed at the sight beneath her, her lips curling into a sadistic grin.

"This is exactly what I saw in my vision," said Lucas, "But... where's the dragon...?"

"Well it's good to see the gangs all here," Marth claimed as he looked to the trio, "Dr. Mario, Morta, and the Ancient Minister himself. You must be really pressed if you yourself had to come and face me."

"You are only a blip on my radar," said the Ancient Minister with his robotic voice, "I merely came to finish this job, and to tie up loose ends."

Suddenly, Morta landed on the ground near the Ancient Minister, brandishing her beloved axe in hand.

"I wanna torture'em for a little while before we trophify them!" she claimed, "It'll be fun! I know it will! I bet the blonde screams like a little girl!" _BLONK!_ "Ah-ah!?"

A turnip flew from nowhere with wicked speed, suddenly striking Morta in the face. She was thrown back by the attack, her hands rubbing her forehead in pain. Quickly standing up with her hands in fists, Morta glared pass Marth and Lucas to see the one who threw the vegetable; as if she didn't already know who.

Peach hovered into the area at Marth's side, still wearing her overalls and such. She glared at Morta, who glared back with fury. Marth glanced over to Peach, accidentally taking in the sights afforded to him by her change in clothes. One wouldn't think overalls would be so perfectly shaped to a woman's body. One would be wrong.

Seriously, why was this happening, and why _now_ of all times?

He shook his head, glaring towards the Ancient Minister and his forces once again. The machine floated back a bit, his yellow eyes still glowing brightly. A low 'hmmm' sound echoed from his, as he put more distance between himself and Marth's forces.

"Marth. Peach. Lucas," said the Ancient Minister, "Ike. Cloud."

"PK THUNDER!"

A blue trail of lightning suddenly flew through the air, flying towards the Ancient Minister. The blast was just about to strike, when Dr. Mario leaped in the way. His electrical hands caught the blast, absorbing it within his body. Shortly after, Ness landed in front of him, PSI energy flowing around his finger tips.

"And now Ness," the Ancient Minister finished, "You two have failed me. Their forces are growing. And will only grow larger. This. Ends. NOW!"

Two powerful beams of light – far stronger than the ones he's used before – erupted from the Ancient Minister's eyes. Suddenly getting shoulder to shoulder, Lucas and Ness projected a large blue barrier in front of themselves, as well as Marth and Peach. Their barrier absorbed the beam, stopping it from injuring anyone.

His attack negated, the Ancient Minister once more put distance between himself and his foes. Ness and Lucas dropped their shielding, as they instead traded smiles with one another.

"It's great to see you again, Ness," Lucas said, while the black-haired young boy merely nodded, "But where is that dragon? I know I saw a dragon in my vision!"

 _THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!_

"Dragon, huh?" Peach said as she looked down the street, "Um... that is _not_ a dragon."

It was tall; far taller than anyone in this immediate battle. About eight, perhaps _nine_ feet of pure, raw power. It was grey, black and white in color, with glowing eyes and flames that flowed from its mouth. This beast wasn't a dragon in the usual sense of the word, but it had enough power to make them wilt.

"Bowser?" Peach said to the glowing beam, as a powerful dark haze began to flow around this fake being, "No, no! Not Bowser! Not Bowser!"

"Peach," Marth said as he shifted his gaze away from Marth and instead to the fake Bowser, "While I did enjoy fighting the doctor in these... very, very tight jeans," he looked over to her, "Could you please be kind and...?"

"Oh... oh! Right!" she said as red ribbons suddenly stretched out from her arms, "Viola!"

The ribbons grew in size as Peach spun around, covering her body and Marth's body. Flowing pink hearts appeared at a blinding number around the two, as the princess continued to dance around the Hero-King. He tried his hardest to avert his eyes as it all happened, but it was near impossible.

Especially on the few times where their eyes actually _met_.

"Marth," she whispered during her dance, voice an echo, "Thank you..."

Such a weird thing to say.

Before he knew it, it was all over. The Hero-King looked down to see his Lord uniform on his body, as if he had never lost it. He wasn't going to think about _how_ it got back on his body, but he didn't really care. At least he was in something more suited for battle. Peach herself was back in her usual elegant dress as well, and looked ready for a fight like the rest.

The Ancient Minister said nothing as he glared at his foes, though his burning yellow eyes seemed to resonate with hate. He turned around, glaring at Dr. Mario and Morta, before shifting his gaze back to Marth and the rest. He seemed to glare at Marth hardest of all.

"Destroy them..." he ordered callously as he began fling away, catching the ire of Ness.

"PK Fire!"

Ness sent out a lightning-shaped attack, which slammed into the cloak of the Ancient Minister. He was set aflame by the attack, a garish groan of pain escaping him as he did so. Everyone watched as the Ancient Minister slowly descended back to the ground, while Dr. Mario pulled out his cape. With a quick swing of his sheet, and a powerful gust of wind, he was able to blow out the burning flames that surrounded his leader.

The cloak the Ancient Minister wore was now gone, burned to nothingness by Ness burning flash. When all was said and done, everyone's worse fears were confirmed. What laid before them was a robotic being. Incredibly skinny, with thin arms, a thin spine, and a thin head. It's body – if you could call it that – was large around the base, holding thrust engines beneath that allowed for flight. It's chest was similar; being large in order to hold its two, thin arms.

R.O.B. ROB. It looked like ROB, anyway. However, where the robot they knew was grey and white, this one was red and black entirely. Its yellow eyes remained as well, still burning with an incredible hatred.

"What are you...?" Peach whispered to herself as she clutched upon Marth, gazing at the red ROB with horror.

"Destroy them," said the Ancient Minister, "NOW!"

Dr. Mario nodded, then leaped high into the sky. His fist cackled with electricity, and he fell upon Marth with all his might. The Hero-King and Peach quickly leaped away, causing the mad doctor to punch the ground with an electric blast. The entire earth shook, as dirt and sediment were tossed up high.

Marth's eyes slid towards Dr. Mario, just barely catching a glimpse of a claw. His eyes grew wide, and with a gasp, he was able of dodging the blow. Marth snaked away, his blue eyes falling upon the burning husk of the copy Bowser. The beast walked towards him dauntingly, flames burning within its mouth and throat. Marth readied Falchion once more, then dashed for his foe.

"Oh no!" Lucas cried.

"Come here, boy-o! I just wanna touch ya!" Morta cackled in response.

"No! Just! PK FREEZE!"

A large block of ice suddenly appeared between Marth and the fake Bowser, causing the two to pull away. Frozen in the ice was Morta, eyes of frozen shock. The Bowser clone punched through the ice chunk, freeing Morta whilst continuing its rampage upon Marth. The Hero-King dodged to one side of the fist, then grabbed a hold of it. With a skillful sweep at the faux Bowser's legs, he tripped the beast up and over.

The entire earth shook from the beast, and Marth attempted to perform a killing blow. But the fake Bowser retracted into its shell, spinning around with spikes pointed out. Marth jumped back as the Bowser clone retreated a few feet away. Then it extended out of its shell, and stood up on two legs. Turning around, false Bowser began to growl insidiously, a bellow matching that of the Devil himself.

"I'm not afraid of you," Marth claimed as he readied Falchion, "Stop trying to intimidate me."

The fake Bowser did stop growling, as a smirk appeared on his lips instead. Face growing serious immediately after, the beast raised its hands then slammed it down. A mighty quake rumbled through the land from his gargantuan press. Marth held his stance however, his eyes settling in on false Bowser's body.

Spakles emanated from Peach's hand, and Dr. Mario leaped back. The winds on top of this building brushed by them, ruffling her pink dress and his black coat. Peach stared dead ahead to her foe, who said and did nothing. Sure, lightning cackled from his hands and fists, but only in a quasi-threatening manner. Peach felt _no_ fear from this man.

"Mario... that is your name, right?" the princess asked as she glared at her foe, "Who... or what are you?" she walked by him, not in a threatening way, but in an attempt to understand, "Mario..."

when she approached him, he quickly struck. His fist shot for Peach's chin, who pulled back just in time. With grace befitting her, she immediately struck him in the chin with a kick. He was knocked back by the blow, but quickly recoiled. His eyes fell ahead to Peach again, who once more approached him not with the intent to injure, but instead to understand.

"You're not even trying to fight me, are you?" she asked, eyebrow raised, "Dr. Mario... just... who are you?"

"PK FIRE!"

The Ancient Minister suddenly flew ahead, eyes firing twin sets of lasers. In chase was a little boy, who flew towards him in chase. Ness send blast after blast towards the Ancient Minister, who constantly shot them down. When they finally landed on a rooftop, he fired another blast to injure the boy, but Ness quickly absorbed it.

"This battle has gone on for too long," the Ancient Minister said as he pulled up, hovering just above Ness, "This was not my fight in the first place. You have unveiled my true form; that is already a mocking for once," a darkness began to swarm around his body, one that confused Ness to look at him, "Say goodbye, Ness. Say goodbye."

"PK Flash!"

Ness summoned a flashing green light from his body, throwing it at the steadily rising Ancient Minister. A wicked explosion of light and sound echoed out soon after, as Ness' attack detonated in midair. However, he failed to actually hit the Ancient Minister, as the robot had already made his escape. Ness stared up to the night sky with confusion on his face, while a certain dainty princess landed right behind him.

"Ness, where'd the Ancient Minister go?" Peach asked as she walked up behidn the boy, who merely shrugged in confusion, "Great... first Dr. Mario just up and vanishes, and so to the Ancient Minister..." she entered a thinking pose, "Now what?"

 _THUMP! THUMP!_

"Uh-oh," Ness said as he and Peach ran to the side of the building they stood upon.

Just below them on the street next to the Drug Store, they stared down to see Marth and the Dr. Bowser. The darkness that flowed around the Dark Bowser began to increase, making the beast grow in size and power. Marth was confused by the sight; one moment he was fighting the false Bowser, the next moment it was growing.

And it kept growing, larger and larger as more Shadow Bugs were infused with its body. Marth gazed up in horror, as the false Bowser had its facial features change. He grew more demonic, more satanic in appearance, as his eyes turned yellow fully. His main flowed longer and turned into a heated red, while his horns increased in size like everything else. Everything about the false Bowser became more sharp, more jagged, more demonic as time went on. And when it finally did stop, he towered over the Drug Store itself in size, as well as everything else in the quite town of Onett. He beastly breathed in and out, as his form was no longer that of regular Bowser, but of a titanic beast.

"Hrrr... hrrr... HEEEERRRAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHH!" Giga Bowser roared, its bellow strong enough to shake the lands around them.

"Giga Bowser!?" Peach gasped in awe as she stared at the beast, whose yellow eyes continued to glow, "How'd they bring a Giga Bowser!? How did they activate a Final Smash!"

False Giga Bowser slammed down his foot, triggering a mighty quake. The attack dazed Marth, as the earth rumbled beneath his very feet. By the time he recoiled, he was face to face with Giga Bowser's fist.

 _THWAK!_

"Ufh!?"

"Marth!?"

He flew some ways away, not stopping until he hit the ground. Then he rolled on the ground, and eventually slid to a halt. A gasp of pain echoed through Marth as he laid on the ground, feeling his chest ping with pain. Rolling upon his back, he found a golden light steadily appear upon him. Said light began to expand on his body, despite his attempts to stop it.

"No, no," Marth groaned as he felt his body turn to stone, "Stop... stop... urgh!"

"Marth!" Peach's voice rang, as she descended near his body, "Marth! Marth!" she looked so worried as he slowly began a trophy, "Don't worry! Just lay here!" Giga Bowswer began to approach them from behind, "I've got this; I've got you!" Lucas and Ness attempted to stop the beast, but to no avail, "Just don't _leave_ me yet..."

"Peach..." he breathlessly whispered.

"I don't know if I can do this without you... URKGH!?"

Marth's eyes grew wide with shock. Peach just flew by, as a wayward tail swiped her away from him. It was painful sounding blow, and she flew by like a pink blur. Despite the glowing gold on Marth's body, he found himself turning to see where Peach had landed. She laid some ways away, her lifeless blue eyes staring at him. Her hand reached out, as she slowly turned gold. He watched her lips move.

"Marth..." she whispered.

Before Peach had become a trophy. It was a horrifying sight; Peach a trophy, and that fake Giga Bowser stomping around as if it owned the place. Lucas and Ness' attempts to stop it was doing nothing, and it appeared as if Giga Bowser was unstoppable.

Was it wrong to say Marth didn't care? Was it wrong to say he just focused on Peach, and how sad she looked in her frozen form. It was a sight that caused him great pain, for reasons he didn't understand. Perhaps it was because he saw her as his partner; they had traveled through this all together. But he felt like they were so much _more_ than just partners.

The golden sheen covering his chest began to dissipate, without any rhyme or reason. The stone nature of trophies began to leave him, and the young man pulled up. Still clutching Falchion in hand, the Hero-King glared knives towards the rampaging Giga Bowser. His eyes shifted from their cool blue to a burning yellow, and he stood up onto his feet. A wicked aura erupted from his body, making his cape jump ferociously.

"You..." he whispered lowly as he raised his blade, catching the light of the stars above, "YOU!" the aura around his body exploded, as he tightened his hold on Falchion's hilt, "I do not intend to fall here! For those who I have chosen to protect! For everyone at Millennium Court! For all of my friends! For Peach! I! WILL! END YOU!"

With a flourish of his blade, Marth pulled back. His eyes were a frenzied mess, as he suddenly cocked back. Like a rocket, he shot forward at blinding speeds. Giga Bowser stared down at just the right moment, before the heavenly blade Falchion found its way into his skull. It was a wicked blow; a mighty one matching the ramming strength of an Arwing itself. No, it was stronger, as the blade was one of divinity itself.

Giga Bowser's eyes rolled back, falling back as Marth landed on the ground before him. The godlike Bowser crashed into the earth, body shaking as a defeated groan escaped him. Before Marth's very eyes, the false Giga Bowser began to break apart into pieces. The massive amounts of Shadow Bugs needed to forge the beast began to flow away, spreading out like ants and vanishing. Marth didn't care though, as his yellow eyes turned turned blue once more. However, he retained his face of anger, even as his foe vanished from existence. The only remnant of the false Giga Bowser left was that of a trophy depicted Bowser himself. It vanished along with the rest of the Shadow Bugs however, leaving Marth alone once more.

Lucas and Ness ran to Marth's side, staring down to where Giga Bowser once stood. There were a few signs of their battle laying about all around them, but for all intents and purposes, this fight was over. Ness and Lucas gave each other high fives of victory, while Marth turned to face Peach's trophy. He sheathed his sword as he made way towards her smiling trophy, kneeling down as he slapped the base. He caused a golden light to appear on Peach's body, that slowly but surely turned her back into herself.

"Lady Toadstool! Lady Toadstool!" he called as she turned back to normal, her eyes closed, "Lady Toadstool!... Princess... please... awaken..."

She didn't move though. Peach was no longer a trophy, but she wasn't moving either. Her eyes were closed, and this disturbed Marth greatly. She should have have awoken, which made the entire situation worse.

"Please, Peach," he began to beg, worry in his voice and on his face, "Peach, please, get up. I can't... I can't do this without you."

"Have... have you tried _kissing_ her?" a voice echoed from behind.

He turned around to see Lucas, looking back with concern on his face. Marth was about to reply, when Lucas continued.

"Ya'know, like in a fairy tale," Lucas said as he walked up closer, "She's like... I don't know, sleeping beauty or something like that. Maybe she just needs a Prince. You... you're a prince, right? Did ou think about kissing her?"

"This isn't some child's story, Lucas!" Marth shouted back, which jostled the lad. He then pulled back, biting his tongue and attempted to calm himself, "I apologize. But this isn't a story, Lucas. I can't just..."

"You can still try," Lucas said, "I... I believe it'll work."

Marth didn't reply, instead sighing. Looking back down to Peach and her soft face, he realized she was still unconscious. He grew slightly frazzled in this approach, and it showed. The Hero-King's face was as red as a beat. But right now, they didn't have much else to go on. Peach wasn't moving, and he needed to hurry.

"Princess Peach..." he moved down, "Please... forgive me for what I am about to do..."

His eyes closed shut and he pursed his lips. Clutching Peach's body close to his own, he placed his lips close to her own. Sparkles emanated from their touch, and silence flowed over them. Her body felt so warm, so lively in his hands as he clutched her close. And her lips felt so soft, so gentle, so tender. The kisses she gave to his cheek simply didn't compare to having it from the source.

Was this wrong? It didn't feel wrong. He was doing it because Lucas offered him the idea, as childish as it was. But kissing Peach – even if it wasn't a true kiss – was just _sublime._ It was weird, and it made him feel wrong but...

He wanted it _more_.

"Mmm... fwaaa!"

Marth pulled back, eyes still on Peach's unconscious body. As she continued to remain still, it only aggravated the Hero-King further. But he didn't show it. Showing anger would only further worsen things. That's not what he wanted to do.

"Fuuuuuuu..."

Marth gazed down to Peach, his eyes suddenly squeezed in. She grunted and groaned a bit, pulling up whilst rubbing her aching head. A few coughs even echoed from her maw, as she opened her fitly blue eyes. She stared around the faces on her; Ness', Lucas', and of course, Marth's. Eyebrow raised, Peach shrugged a bit, then straightened up.

"H-hey, you guys," she said to them, "Did I... did I miss something?"

Her answer was a hug, which only served to confuse her further. Marth hugged Peach gently, but in a manner that showed he didn't want to let go. The pink princess didn't know what to do, though her face grew softer. Smiling, she too began to hug Marth, her eyes closing shut.

"Peach I-"

"It's alright," she replied, silencing him, "My _hero_..."

There is truly a magic within Princess Peach's kisses.

…

"No, no! Pretty man! Don't go! Don't go yet!"

"Please! My name is Marth! Marth!"

He tried to nudge the blonde-haired girl off, but it just wasn't working. For a child, this little blonde had a pincer-like grip on her arms. Considering the fact that her older brother was one of the most powerful psychics the Hero-King had ever encountered, perhaps she was using some abilities on him. It was hard to tell.

"Tracy, please, let go of our guess!" Ana chimed in, causing her daughter to finally relent.

"Okay..." she said with disdain, as Marth rubbed his leg.

"Ai ai ai. You have quite the grip, Madame Tracy... that's a sign of strength from where I come from."

"Oooooohhhh! You called me 'Madame'!" the little girl squealed, her eyes glowing, "Ooooohhhh!"

She then ran out of the living room with her hands on her face, absolutely beaming like a child of her age. The Hero-King smiled too as he watched her run, before straightening up his stance. The morning sun gazed through the afternoon sun was looking through the morning; his sign to start moving.

"I wanted to say again, thank you, Mrs. Ana for all of your aid," Marth said as he looked up to the blonde woman, "I can't express in enough words how much assistance you give Peach and I in letting Ness help us."

"Hey! Don't worry about it," the woman said as she placed her fists on her hips, "I can clearly tell just how amazingly special my boy is. I mean, he flies to school sometimes... just for the fun of it, sometimes. And I already know how important he was when fighting that... what was his name? Tabuu or something? Yeah, that," she shook her head, "What I'm trying to say is, I know my son will be safe. He's a strong kid."

"He is..." Marth said with a nod, "He is..."

"So... how long?" Ana asked with a wink.

"How long, what?" Marth replied, eyebrow raised.

"How long have you been courting Princess Peach?" the woman asked, "I mean, you two look so cute with one another!"

"What? Courting!? I wouldn't call it courting!" Marth replied with his hands shaking, "Please, don't misunderstand it, Mrs. Ana!"

"Aaaawww, you don't have to fool me," Ana said with another wink, "I've noticed the way you look at her, Mr. Hero-King. It's so cute!" Marth began to blush with embarrassment as he looked away, "Oh, I'm sorry Mr. Macho-man. I guess putting out your business is quite uncouth of me, isn't it."

"No... no... Mrs. Ana," he replied as he sighed, "Perhaps... you're not so far from the truth..."

Marth rubbed the side of his head, groaning a bit as he did so. It was a gesture Ana noticed, and something that made her think. Then a smile appeared on her lips, as she patted him upon his shoulder.

"She feels the same way, I'm pretty sure," she said, making Marth gaze at her eyes wide, "I've seen it in her eyes. When she brought you where when you were unconscious. How worried she was," Ana chuckled, "Reminded me of me when I was with my husband! Always bringing him home when he was unconscious!" after calming down, Ana began making way for the kitchen once more, "I don't know the lives of you kings and queens and prince and princesses, but I can see when someone _cares_ for someone. And she _really_ cares for you, Mr. Hero-King. I hope you two make something of it."

Ana slipped through the kitchen then, vanishing behind Marth, and leaving him all alone in the living room. Scratching the back of his head, he gave a nod for seemingly no reason, and walked off for the door. Stepping through it, he exited out into the front lawn of Ness' family, the summer wind blowing against him. He felt incredibly calm then, as smells from far off distances were brought to him by the gentle breeze.

When his eyes fell, he saw Peach, Ness and Lucas, huddled around the motorcycle. The boys were in their usual attire, while Peach had redressed herself into those overalls. Marth couldn't help but to scratch the back of his head at the sight, walking up shortly after. Ness and Lucas quickly sprang up as the Hero-King stood behind them, and Peach slowly stood up as well. He and the princess looked at one another gently, trading sweet smiles with one another. It was enough to bring a blush of some sort to Lucas, while Ness merely snickered.

"Hey, what are you laughing at?" Peach asked as she looked at Ness, who quickly straightened himself out, "Mm-hm! I thought so!"

"I wish to thank you for your aid once again, Ness and Lucas. We couldn't have fought them off without your help," Marth stated.

"Don't worry about it," Lucas claimed, beaming with delight, "I'm just happy I had that vision, and showed up when I did! Who knows what would've happened?"

"You two are valiant knights," Peach said as she planted her hands on their shoulders, "You've done your homes well protecting Marth and I. We couldn't thank you two enough. I'm so happy you two decided to help us out."

"Hey! We helped stopped the Subspace Army before," Lucas claimed, "We can do it again..." he then looked off for the distance, a perplexed sight on his face, "Umm... it's thattaway, right?"

"More like that way," Peach said, as she pointed in the opposite direction.

"Oh... right!" Lucas said, "Ness and I will make our way there. I mean, we can teleport and what not, so we'll be there when the time's right!" he smiled greatly, "You don't have to worry about us! But... um... where are you and Marth going?"

"We're going to talk to Ganondorf," Marth answered as he faced their motorcycle, "And we should really get a move on, Peach. After what happened last night, I think we've wasted enough time."

"Yeah, you're right," Peach replied as she looked at him, "If we go through Toad's Turnpike, we _should_ be able to make great time though! Anyway," she faced Ness and Lucas one more time, "Thank you for your help again."

Ness and Lucas nodded one more time in unison, before facing the former's home. Walking off for it, they began to talk with one another, trading stories about things. Peach watched them walk through the door into Ness' home, before looking up to Marth. He looked back at her, and the two smiled. Marth's smile began to diminish first though, as he looked down to her puffy lips.

"Kids are nice," Peach said.

"I suppose," Marth replied, "I've never been much of children people. I mean..." he began to fret, "No! No! I don't mean it like that! It's just that..." he looked up to the sky, "I... I haven't spent much time around kids. And my childhood wasn't the most normal so... I'm not too sure if I understand how children work."

"You don't know how children work!" Peach replied whilst laughing, "They're children! They aren't that hard to understand!" she gently stroked his face, "You're so cute, Marth! You're just as naive as they come, aren't you?"

"I'm not that naive!" he replied, while Peach continued to laugh.

"It's alright! It's alright!" the Princess of Toadstools replied as she calmed down, her eyes locking with his again, "I think that's kinda _cute_ really," her hand sat on his chest, " _You're._.. pretty cute..."

Then a frown formed on her lips, and her face turned to one of regret. She looked off then, and this confused Marth.

"Peach, what's wrong?" he said.

"I... I wanna apologize for a change, Marth," Peach said as she looked down, "Um... I kinda... sorta... _lied_ to you, earlier," she looked back up meekly, "Little boys don't go to clothing stores on Summer Breaks. Well... not any that I know of, anyway. I... I kinda just wanted to... spend time with you, is all. I like our moments together, Marth. When it's just _us_ two. And..." she smiled, "I thought it would be pretty fun if we dressed up," then she frowned again, "Sorry for abusing your trust like I did. It's not something I usual do. Can you forgive me?"

Marth stared down to Peach, who appeared as meek as possibly. He wasn't sure if she was being genuinely humble, or mischievous like how Peach could be. But ya'know what? He didn't really care. Staring down at Peach, the Hero-King put a smile on his face, as his fists fell on his hips.

"It's alright," he said, "I uh... kinda figured that place wasn't the kind of place for little boys anyway. I may be 'naive' as you put it, but I'm not stupid. When all those women were looking at me, I kinda put two-and-two together," he laughed it all, "But it's alright! I mean... other than the jeans, the new clothes weren't that bad, I guess."

"So... you're not mad?"

"Why would I be ma-oof!?"

She suddenly hugged him tightly, an embrace that made him smile as well. Really, getting hugs from Peach were really becoming _nice_ as time went on. Simply being with her – in her presence – was enough to bring a smile to his face. The idea of this adventure wasn't as daunting as it once was days ago when it started. Feeling her lips too.

Feeling her lips too.

 _Feel_ her _lips_ too...

He stared down to Peach as she pulled back from their embrace. The two said nothing, instead looking at one another for a seemingly long period of time. For the two, it felt like forever. Marth merely gazed down upon the woman, with her puffy lips, those beautiful cerulean eyes, her wonderful blonde hair, and the sparkles that occasionally came from him.

Peach gazed back, noticing the same air of intrigue. How wonderfully sharp his blue eyes were in battle, yet how soft and kind they were now. The dark color of his hair; a sight new to her, even as ruler over the Mushroom Kingdom. The soft, tender features of his face, that matched the nature of his naturally gentle soul. And those thin lips of his, that seemed awfully _familiar_ to her, though she knew not why.

It came to them in unison; the fact that they were staring at one another for probably _too_ long. They averted their eyes from one another, and broke off their hugs as well. Neither side could deny these feelings they had for one another, feelings of an almost _magical_ kind. They would try though. They would try.

"Haaa... alright... now then, we must be off, Princess," Marth said as he rested his hands on their motorcycle, "Should be this way towards Ganondorf. Hopefully we shall find more to pull to our side as well."

"Yeah, shouldn't take us too long," Peach said, before resting her eyes on his body, "Um... Marth... what happened to the clothes we bought at the store?"

"Um... you did something with them," he said in reply, eyebrow raised, "You... where _do_ our clothes go when you magic them away?"

"Princess' secret," Peach said as she swiped her finger along his nose, "Oh well... we should be heading off, shouldn't we?" she rose her hand, "Let me just switch my clothes and-"

"Wait, Peach."

"Hm?"

"Why did you ask about my clothes?"

She smirked.

"The jeans you wore, those skinny jeans," she snickered, "They were so tight around your butt!" she laughed, "I'm sorry, I couldn't help my self!"

"My butt?" he replied in a dumbfounded manner, "What do you mean?"

"Your butt, Marth, your butt," Peach said as she gave him that same gaze as before. The same gaze she gave him when they were lingering outside the clothes store. The same gaze she gave him when she asked him that question he refused to think about.

"You have such a _tight_ butt, Marth," Peach whispered.

Marth merely stared blankly into the distance at such a statement, while Peach readied their motorcycle. He continued to stare blankly as she mounted the vehicle. He continued to stare blankly as he mounted the motorcycle with Peach. He continued to stare blankly as they drove off in the distance

All Marth did was gaze into the distance blankly, and think about how tight his own butt was. As well as the words Peach said to him.

 _So... did you like what you saw?_

* * *

 _Maverick Talks!_

 _Jeeze, what the heck? Didn't I say this story should be posted quickly, yeah?_

 _Anyway, here it is, part 5 of this here little story! And, boy, is it heavily drenched into some Earthbound. Lucas is here, so is Ness, as well as Ness' mom and sister. Funnily enough, Ness' mom and sister don't even have trophies in Smash. Nor does Lucas' father, Flint, for that matter. Even though Flint totally deserves one; he's freaking awesome._

 _Also, another chapter that's like, over ten thousand words long. Would you guys prefer me to chop these up and make them easier to digest, or just drop them the way they were originally written? I would like to say the next chapters will be shorter... hopefully..._

 _Anyway, you guys, mayhaps I'll get off my butt and start posting these at a faster rate. Or, ya'know, maybe I'll just be super lazy again. Who knows?_

 _Only I nose._

 _That wasn't an accident._

 _Maverick Kay Prime_


	6. Saffron Spices

Saffron Spices

"You are so incredibly _weak._ "

Sometimes, he really – _really_ – wondered why she even _existed_ , let alone why she got paired up with her. She wasn't particularly strong in battle, she was constantly talking random nonsense, had an incredibly sadistic taste, and was all around unpleasant to be around. But she was the partner chosen for him; this pink-haired little she-devil who enjoyed doing nothing more than torturing all those around her. And when there were no enemies for her to vex, he was her favorite little target.

"I saw your little 'fight' with the princess," Morta said as she put air-quotes around the term 'fight', "And it was the most pathetic exchange I had ever seen! I may not have bested Peach in battle, but at least I _tried_ to kill her. You on the other hand? Well... you..." she snickered, "You just pranced around, attempting to _avoid_ a fight with her as best you could. I don't know what's wrong with you, but that was pretty pathetic, doctor."

The man in the black cloak turned around sharply, his eyes glaring at his 'partner'. They traveled a silent dusty road, once again searching for their foes. It came as a surprise to all of them what Marth did; besting their faux Giga Bowser by using a Final Smash of his own. How he was able to tap into that ability by his own will was a shock onto itself, and one worth investigating.

Yet Morta seemed uninterested with that fact. She was finding far more enjoyment with tormenting Dr. Mario than she was trying to figure out more about their foes. Fortunately, their leader was there to keep them on track.

"Silence, Morta!" the Ancient Minister's voice rang above them all.

He descended to their level, his body once again cloaked in his green shroud. Though it had been burned off by Ness earlier, Morta had been kind enough to give him a new one. But that fact was uninteresting to the cold machine, as his yellow eyes instead beamed down upon the doctor in question.

"Marth was capable of performing a Final Smash," said the Ancient Minister, his eyes glaring towards his underlings, "There was no Smash Ball or anything; he merely performed it. This fact goes against all of my recorded information."

"Then I guess your databanks aren't as good as you thought," Morta snickered, garnering a swift glare from her leader.

"Be that as it may, our attack on them at Onett was disastrous," the machine said, "Time after time, your attacks on Marth and Peach have had the opposite affect. Instead of capturing them and ending this, they have managed to out fight you at every turn. Dark Samus; defeated. False Falco, False Lucina, and Mother Brain; all bested in battle. Our Giga False Bowser... destroyed. We ourselves... beaten..." the Ancient Minister began shaking, his eyes turned red, "IT ANGERS ME!"

"Calm down! Calm down, Johnny Five!" Morta snarled, "We get it! We suck! Do you have anything else of importance to say? It's probably going to be the same thing, isn't it? Stop Peach and Marth, and do it quickly. That's what we're trying. They're just a little bit... I dunno... _better_ than we originally thought, is all," she then looked to Dr. Mario, a sadistic visage appearing on her face, "And some of us appear keen on going _easy_ on our foes."

Dr. Mario turned around and glared at Morta, who continued her snickering ways. Angered by her words and her demeanor, he approached her with the intent to do harm. His eyes and his hands cackled with electricity, showing he wasn't playing. But Morta appeared unfazed by his murderous advances.

 _BWEEM! BWEEM!_

"Silence! The both of you!" the Ancient Minister shouted after shooting two warning shots between them, "This is a time where we face our enemies, not each other," Dr. Mario continued to glare at Morta however, who stared back with her malicious smile, "Now then, I must return to Millennium Court. If my calculations are correct, Marth and Peach are currently heading towards Ganondorf. Their path so far has confirmed this theory. We must stop them before they enlist his aid. I shall prepare everything within the castle," he began to lift higher and higher, preparing to leave, "Do not fail me."

Those were the Ancient Minister's last words before he flew off for the distance, eventually vanishing from eyesight. Dr. Mario and Morta watched him do so, before their eyes fell upon one another. The she-devil gave a smile to her partner, one that wasn't reciprocated. He turned around to walk off, with Morta skipping jovially at his side.

"So... care to explain why you went easy on the princess?" she asked, which was promptly ignored. This only made her chuckle, "I think I know why. Not only are you weak in the knees for her, you have some sort of _attachment_ to her, don't you?" he looked over his shoulder towards her, making her laugh, "Mmm... what? She reminds you of _your_ Peach, doctor? That's rich! I bet she's _nothing_ like your Peach!"

Her mocking words finally caused Dr. Mario to stop. He turned around, glaring at her with murder in his eyes. This time however, there wasn't an Ancient Minister to stop his wrath. This entire journey had been quite annoying with her presence anyway; he'd fare much better without her aid. Seeing this Morta lifted up her hands. She was a gambler by nature, and would gladly play this game.

"No, no! I'm not insulting _your_ Peach," she replied, "I'm just insulting your foolishness! You're an idiot for thinking she's like your Peach, because she isn't your Peach. She's a completely different Peach altogether, if that wasn't obvious enough," he walked closer to her, "But you still think I'm insulting your _queen_ , don't you? Heh heh heh, you foolish man, you," a sadistic smile appeared on her lips, spreading from cheek to cheek, "Why don't you prove me wrong then, huh? Why don't you prove me how strong a man you are?" her eyes settled into a glare, "I wanna see just how much you don't believe in this Peach," she walked closer to him, "How much you don't _care_ for her. She's our target, Dr. Mario. Let's take her _trophy_."

…

The land of Archanea. It is far different from the regions he passed through at this very moment. He was used to the ancient stone walls of the time period his people found themselves in. Buildings that still used stone instead of medal, and roads traveled upon by horses and Pegasuses. Lights that still used gas and oil, instead of these lightbulbs with their switches. A world of swords and shields, instead of guns and lasers. He lived in a most interesting world, a world where many different things from many different times come together to make something perfect. Such a shame that it was now where he first enjoyed it.

Only in times of danger did the Hero-King found himself traveling out of his home kingdom, such as the last Subspace Emissary. Funny that. The walls of Millennium Court were thought impregnable by him time and time again. Everyone who lived in the kingdom thought it was impossible to assault. And yet the Ancient Minister and his band were capable of taking it all from him.

But had gained something from it as well; a partner he found most magnetic. Someone who he found himself carrying for more and more as time went on. A princess from a far off land whose name always bewildered him. The Mushroom Kingdom. He had heard tales of her dainty nature; how she often was the definition of a damsel in distress, that would often be whisked away into the arms of a fire-breathing turtle. Yes, it was all very confusing. But he also heard how beloved she was by her people, how she was seen as the most kind of all the rulers the kingdom had ever known. How sweet she was. How magical. How sparkles obeyed her every whim.

He gazed over his shoulder to her, as they road on these busy highway streets. Her blonde hair bounced in the wind, while this omnipresent smile sat on her lips. Even from behind, she was a most beautiful sight. She wore this white and pink leotard, as she commanded the motorcycle between their legs. Despite all the trouble they had gone through, she remained in relatively high spirits. He never heard her whine or bemoan the idea of her friends being captured. It could be seen as relatively soulless, but he knew better than that. Princess Peach? Soulless? These two words simply cannot exist in the same sentence. But as time moved on – and the further he thought about it – just _how_ did she remain so optimistic?

"Haaa... where are we now, Peach?" Marth asked as he looked around them, noticing the buildings riding towards them.

"Hmm... we were in the Mushroom Kingdom just a few moments ago," Peach said in a perplexed manner, "Then we pulled off of Toad's Turnpike and came here... hm... let's see... we should be... ah-ha!" she rose a finger, producing a cute transparent heart, "We should be in the Kanto region! Ya'know! With all the Pokemon! I think we're entering Saffron City, right about now..." she zipped past a few cars, "It is getting late, so we can stay there and keep going in the morning."

"No no, we should... _eeeeyaaaaaaaaahhhhh_..." he shook his head after his yawn, "We should keep going, Peach. We can't waste anymore time."

"Oh, listen to yourself, Marth!" she said, "You're half-asleep as is! You can barely keep your eyes open, can't you?"

"All I need... _eeeeyaaaaahhhh_... is a few moments to rest my eyes, and I'll be fine," he replied, "There is no reason for us to stop our quest just to accommodate myself... _eeeeyaaaaaaahhh..._ excuse that last yawn. That is not indicative about my status."

"Listen, I'm the one driving the motorcycle, so I'm the one who get's to make the decision," Peach replied as they suddenly turned for an exit lane, "We're stopping at Saffron City for the night, so you can sleep, and that's that."

"But-"

"No buts! And that's final mister!"

Marth could only roll his eyes in annoyance at Peach and her ways, seeing as how he couldn't break through her wills. She was the one driving the motorcycle, and thus the one who was truly in control at this moment. Still, it pained him that she would go out of their way just to give him a few hours of rest. That's all he really needed though.

But in a way, that stubbornness of hers was quite endearing. Who would think that the usually dainty princess would be harder to budge than a Goron? It was something learned the hard way, that's for sure.

As they drove through the city of Saffron, Marth gazed in awe to the levels of technology that laid around them. So many other cars, a magnet train, street lights that glowed. This city was far more high-tech, far more civilized in comparison to Onett. And both of these settlements were far grander in technology in comparison to Millennium Court, and the entire land of Archanea. Sure, Saffron City wasn't as large as his capital city (where riding from one end to the other could take an hour), but it was prettier to look at. What with the buildings that touched the skies, and the lights that peppered them. It was hard to tell the difference between the stars up high, and the lights from sky scrapers.

Marth looked like a child in a candy store, with how large his eyes grew. He quickly calmed himself down though, as his eyes closed shut. Deep down in his mind though, he was thinking about ways to modernize his kingdom. After all, the Mushroom Kingdom itself had done a pretty good job of balancing it's more archaic ways with the hustle and bustle of modern life. Even if things did get confusing sometimes.

Intermixed with all of these lights that danced, there were people playing with creatures. Pokemon were what they were called. Marth didn't really have much to say about Pokemon, other than the fact that they looked like wild beasts. Sure they could be tamed, but he wasn't about to do so. All he needed were his horses and Pegasuses. But he did remember Lucina have a Pokemon of her own. A Eevee or something like that.

"Peach do you have Pokemon?" Marth asked, making the pink princess go 'hm?'

"Well, I did for a little while," Peac replied as they slowed down a bit, "Yeaaah... hmm... I wanted to migrate Pokemon into the Mushroom Kingdom a little while ago. I started with Pikachus, Pichus and Jiggypuffs, because they're just so cute! I put them all in my garden, but then..."

"But then what?"

"My pet Chain-Chomps ate them all," she said, with a laugh no less, "I just came out one day, and they were all gone. And I know my Chain-Chomps were the ones who ate them, because they were all full for no reason! Wouldn't eat anything that entire day!"

"Wait... you have _pet_ Chain-Chomps?" Marth replied, his mind running amok with thoughts of the demented beings, "Why? How?"

"Oh! Chain-Chomps are just the nicest and loveliest things once you tame them! They always whimper like little dogs when I come walking around! And just last week, they only managed to hurt _five_ of my Toads instead of seventeen! Like the week before! They're so nice!"

Yeah, 'nice'. That wasn't the term Marth would use to describe them. But Peach seemed so entrance with the creatures, like a mother speaking about a child. Not being a pet owner himself – and definitely not understanding the appeal behind Chain-Chomps – Marth couldn't quite understand Peach's adoration for pets. But it did bring a smile to her face, and a sparkle as well; that was all good enough for him.

"Alright, here's a hotel," Peach said as she drove up to a rather large looking building, "We'll just rent out the penthouse for the night and get some good sleep. Wake up in the morning ready to go, and... well... go! Ah-ha!"

Seriously, how was she so happy with the current situation they were placed in? It felt more like she was on some kind of vacation instead of fighting for her life.

They parked their motorcycle in a massive parking lot, Marth making a mental picture in his head of its location. Looking up to Peach, he watched as the princess redid her hair into a ponytail. Then she performed a quickly little spin, as lights flashed around her body. The pink leotard she wore when driving her motorcycle was thus replaced with those overalls she had grown so accustomed too. Marth merely watched her do this with an eyebrow raised, confused as to why she did it in the first place.

"What are you doing?" he inquired, "Trying to fit in again, like at Onett?"

"No..." she said as she shook her head, "I'm just _really_ don't feel like wearing my dress today, and I kinda want to do my hair up like this!" he groaned as he rolled his eyes, with Peach laughing, "Oh you! I'm also trying to hide myself! Saffron's _way_ bigger than Onett; information travels like-" she snapped her fingers, "That! The last thing we need is a bunch of people huddled around us, asking us questions. The paparazzi in Saffron can get pretty bad, ya'know. So... we go incognito, as they say."

Paparazzi? It was a term Marth was pretty alien too, really. He rarely went to other lands, and quite enjoyed spending time with his people on the streets. When he could, that is. But the idea of paparazzi was something he was familiar. To be stalked by people, thanks to his famous nature alone? Perhaps Peach had a good reason for wanting to hide herself.

"Whoa? What? Peach? What are you!?"

He was sent for a spin suddenly, one that happened rapidly. Peach merely grabbed his cape tightly, pulled, and then sparkles were suddenly around him. When it all ended, he looked down to see those clothes bought for him at Onett as well. The button up shirt, the skinny jeans, and his boots. He blushed at the sight, realizing Peach had – once again – forcibly changed his clothes. He could only hope she didn't pry whenever she did such a thing.

"Please, Peach, could you refrain from doing that in the future? On my behalf?"

"Oh please," she replied as she began walking off for the hotel in question, "You know you _like_ it."

By that, he was perplexed. As Peach began to leave him behind, he quickly followed her.

…

Whenever he took steps, the ground would cackle with electricity beneath his feet. He was a man on a mission, as he trailed the silent rooftop. Nothing could bother him up here, save for the sounds of the wind all around them, and the night sky above.

Dr. Mario stopped as he stood perch on a rooftop, his arms crossed over one another. He glared down to the streets below, to the people playing with their Pokemon, or merely trying to get through with the day. Then his eyes moved opposite, to the buildings that stood taller still, and to the night sky dancing high above.

"Look at all this," Morta's malicious voice echoed from behind, "Mmmm... don't you just _hate_ it? All these people, being ever so _happy_. I like it when people are _unhappy_ , ya'know? I don't know... kinda... kinda..." she chuckled, "Kinda turns me on, actually. I can't wait until we ruin this world with Tabuu's influence. All these people, so unhappy. _Forever_. Like a living hell. Oh... oh! Oh~hohohohohohoho! It just makes me laugh so hard!"

He rolled his eyes towards Morta and her insanity. The idea of reviving Tabuu was not something he did out of pleasure, but out of necessity. Morta didn't understand that; in her frenzied mind, the only upside to bringing back Tabuu was for the murderous intentions.

But she did have a point. Reviving Tabuu would merely ruin this world. An unfortunate side-effect, but not one he really cared for. These fools deserved what they had coming to them, for the destruction of Tabuu first. Did they honestly believe there would be no retribution for their actions? Perhaps. Perhaps not.

None of that mattered now. None of this mattered now. His actions today would decide the fate of this world. They would stop Princess Peach and Marth before they made their way any further, and they would cut down any further insurgence. Tabuu would be resurrected; that is for sure.

"Alright, let's get to work," Morta said as she walked up, a pleasured groan escaping her shortly after, "Mmmm... I think I've had my fill of fantasies. Let's go and get Peach and Marth. Perhaps I'll torture'em for a little while before it's all over."

Dr. Mario glanced over towards her, annoyed by her statement. She did have a point though; it was time to get a move on. His eyes cut towards the massive hotel before them; the largest and the richest hotel in all of Saffron. Standing in one of the elevators that moved up, was a certain princess and pink, and a blue-haired Hero-King.

Dr. Mario nodded.

…

"Aaahhh! This is amazing!" Peach gasped as she stared forward.

An apartment as big as one's entire home laid out before them, with them on the first floor. Below laid a kitchen with the latest technology, soft couches, tables, a fireplace, a wide-screen TV, and so, so much else. There was an outdoor patio area as large as one's lawn, with a pool deep enough for Bowser to drown. It gave such a wondrous sight of Saffron city itself; one could see Sabrina's gym in the far distance as well.

Peach was absolutely beaming from the sight, literally. Marth had to cover his eyes, as the Princess of Toadstools emitted enough lights and sparkles to blind a Yoshi. Before he could say a word, she was hovering down to the next floor, running about like Sonic hopped up on coffee. Marth could only brush a few blades of hair from his eyes, whilst sighing about his partner's enthusiasm.

He eventually made way to the second floor himself, scanning the area around him. This all felt wrong, really. No, not the penthouse; it was incredibly epic. Enough so to put his own personal chamber to shame twice over. But he still shouldn't be here. They should have been traversing their way to Ganondorf's castle as fast as they could, not lollygagging around in an luxurious apartment. Sure he was tired, but not too tired that he'd ignore his duties.

Peach however, seemed to enjoy herself. She took particular interest in the frying pans awarded her, like he would when discovering a new rapier of some sort. He frowned at the sight, walking up to one of the couches as he did so. Sitting on it, he gave a low sigh at the soft leather against his body. It was far different from the rough back of the motorcycle they road upon, and felt quite nice. He enjoyed the touch, but not for long before thinking about their situation. His eyes closed, all he could think about was their mission, and the ever present frown on his face.

"Marth... is there something wrong?" Peach's voice echoed from behind.

He opened his eyes to stare up to the princess, who gazed back down with a gaze of concern. She seemed so naive to the world at large, though he knew she knew better. She knew the dire straits they were put in, and the horrors that could arise if they were to fail. And yet she was jaunting around like this was just a fun little trip; nothing more than a cute getaway. He wasn't sure if she was ignoring it, or _mocking_ it as it were.

"Princess..." he whispered, "Why are we doing what we're doing?"

"We're here because you need to sleep," she replied, making him shrug.

"Yes... I do need to sleep but..." he shook his head, "We could have stopped anywhere to rest? A random stop along the path; nothing too special. Not this... how you say? Penthouse, right?" she nodded, "Yeah, a penthouse," his eyes closed, "Peach... do you...?"

He stole himself from finishing his question, something that beckoned Peach. She walked closer to him, eyebrow raised, face still of concern.

"M-Marth," she said, "What were you saying?"

"No... I was out of place for even _thinking_ it," he replied, head shaking, "Just ignore me. I really should be getting some rest."

"No, Marth, what was it you were going to say?" Peach asked as her hand met his shoulder, pinning him in place, "Come on... you can tell me anything."

She gave him such a sweet smile when she said that, those puffy lips of hers on full display. He could get lost in a face like that for hours, as hard as it was to admit to. But the thoughts in his head made him look away, as if he wasn't deserving of such an angelic sight. Because the thoughts he had were truly _insulting_ to Peach.

"No, Princess," he said as he looked away again, "I... I can't."

"Marth, please," she sat down next to him, "You can tell me anything. Now... what were you going to ask me?"

He was stronger than this. He knew what to say and when to say it, even when he knew the outcome wouldn't be pretty. This was one of those times, and yet he refrained from saying his thoughts to Peach. Saying his _true_ thoughts to her. How she played around like this was some vacation, like this was some sort of _game_. How he felt truly _insulted_ by it all. How he felt like-

"You're not taking this _seriously_ , Peach," he finally said, something that surprised even him, "Do you _care_?"

Everything grew silent then. Marth grew wide eyed, as he realized what he said. He thought he said in his mind, but he knew better. He spoke those words out loud, so that she could hear them. He didn't mean to, but he did so. And this was the fallout.

He turned to look at Peach, though he really didn't want to. What he saw was an image of pain. Peach looked visibly hurt, as if he had stricken her. She was both shocked by his accusation, and appalled by it. Marth's heartbeat began to increase, as he felt the need to placate her. To apologize.

"Princess Peach I-"

 _SMACK!_

The slap was swift, painful, and accompanied by sparkles of course. He placed his hand on his cheek, whilst slowly turning back to face the pink princess. She was livid, and a most terrifying way as well. The last time he had angered Peach, fire burned deep within her eyes, as if called upon by her emotion. But this time, there was no such flames within her spirit. As she stood up from the couch they sat upon, her blue eyes remained locked on his position, and her face remained as angered as humanly possible. And then she spoke

"You dare..." she said in a way lacking strength or sound. It was low – like a whisper – and somehow, that made it ten-times worse, "You dare accuse me of not caring? Mario is in there. Luigi. Daisy. Rosalina. Zelda. Link. Everyone is in there... and you say I don't care?"

She turned around then, which felt even worse. Marth watched as she walked towards the glass doors that separated them from the outdoor pool, only to stop. He opened his mouth to speak, but the princess cut him off.

"Do you know why I let myself get captured?" she asked, in a rhetorical manner, "Do you know why I let Bowser take me? Or whoever else? Because sometimes... sometimes it smarter to bite my tongue than to fight back. Sometimes it's just... _easier_ that way. I can fight Bowser... I have fought against Bowser. You know who get's hurt in my stead? My people. Bowser – despite his foolish antics every now and then – is a very, _very_ , dangerous being. He's far more powerful than your usual koopa, and far more intelligent as well. He's not called Great Demon King Koopa for nothing. He is a monster, Marth. An intelligent, powerful _monster_. And he will hurt... he will _kill_... anyone and anything that gets in his way," her hand laid upon the patio door, "He will... hurt my people." she took in a deep breath, "He _has_ hurt my people. Unless..." she looked down, "Unless I give myself up to him. Sometimes, one must learn to relent – learn to submit – to help others. I don't fear Bowser. Not like I once did. He..." she chuckled, "He _loves_ me, as weird as it is to say. He wouldn't do anything to actually _hurt_ me. But my people? My Toads are weak. They train hard to protect me, when they can barely protect themselves. And Bowser knows that. Sometimes he captures me in an attempt to take the Mushroom Kingdom. Sometimes he captures me to settle some sick score with Mario. But it all remains the same; if I fight back, my people suffer. My people... _die_... the truth is, Marth. I _care_ ," she opened the door to the patio and walked out of it, "I care far more than you could _possibly_ imagine."

She walked out to the patio, closing the door behind her, and leaving Marth in silence. And in silence did the Hero-King remain. He just stared out the patio, before covering his face with his arms. Marth gave a powerful groan of frustration and anger, most – if not all – of it being disappointment with himself. He couldn't believe he said what he said, and that angered him most of all. Of course Peach cared, why wouldn't she?

"Princess," he said as he pulled up from the couch, before cutting himself short.

Peach was spinning now, her ribbons around her body. A shimmering array of sparks appeared on her body, causing the overalls she wore to suddenly light up and vanish. What replaced them – of all things – was a pink bikini. Marth looked at Peach in her bikini at an utter lost of words. She stared over her shoulder back towards him, her face still one of spit. Then she extended a finger that caused sparkles, and swiped them along the air. Upon doing so, the curtains that hung to the side of the patio doors suddenly slid over, covering Marth's eyes and her body.

Now the Hero-King was truly left alone, and it felt like it. He sat on the couch, still angered and annoyed by his own statement. It was foolish to jump to such barbaric conclusions in terms of Princess Peach, as she clearly cares very deeply about all those in her guardianship. In insulting that, he got the punishment he so rightfully deserve.

"Please forgive me, Princess Peach..." he whispered to himself.

"Awwww... if only she was here to hear that," a most sadistic voice replied.

Marth turned around quickly, facing the voice that called out to him. It was that of a pink-haired she devil, and a doctor in a black cloak. The Hero-King stared at them, shock and awe laying on his face. How did they get in here without his knowing?

It didn't matter; that brief moment of stunned awe was all the doctor needed. His open palm flew forward with a course of powerful electricity. It slammed into Marth's chest, throwing him back. He crashed into a wall behind him, grunting and groaning with pain. A golden light began to glow from his chest, steadily traveling along his entire body. He tried to stop the glow, but it was too late. Flesh and blood was rapidly turning into stone and marble, and a golden base began to appear around his feet.

Marth could only gaze up to Dr. Mario and Morta, who stood above him with a certain since of superiority. Well, the girl did anyway; Dr. Mario was just as emotionless as usual. He turned around then, walking towards the patio door.

"Nooo..." Marth said as he reached out to him, consciousness rapidly being seized from his body, "Peeeaaach..."

He finally froze in place, turning into a trophy without the ability to move. All he could do was see, and hear. Hear voices that constantly played deep within the mind. A horrifying feeling indeed. Trophication is death here. A death that can last thousands of years. In that light, perhaps its more like a rest. An eternal rest in a perpetual nightmare. Unending, everlasting, unceasing.

Forever...

There is something magical within Princess Peach's kisses.

A sudden shine began to glow on Marth's body. Said glow slowly traveled over his entire body, steadily turning him back into flesh. Marble and stone turned back to flesh and blood, and he finally breathed. The Hero-King gazed up to the ceiling, breathing heavily. He clenched at his pained chest, whilst standing to his feet in a dazed manner. Grasping the head of his sheathed blade Falchion, Marth began to limp his way over to the glass patio doors.

"Peach," he called in a haggard and pained manner, "Peach!"

Making way to the sliding doors, he pushed them open. The Hero-King nearly flopped as he made his way to the outdoor pool, glaring around in search of his partner. But she was nowhere to be found. Arriving to the pool, he gazed inside to see nothing but calm waters. No sign of the princess within. He gaped at the image, eyes growing wide as his face became one of fear.

"PEEEEAAAAACCCHHHH!" he cried, having realized she was gone.

He sulked down to his knees, even sobbing into his hands. He knew not where she went, or what their enemies did to her. And even worse, his last words to her were ones of insult, of accuse. That's not the last thing he wanted to say to her. He didn't want that to be the last words traded between one another.

"Peach..." he whispered.

 _Thump..._

Marth turned around quickly, eyes lining onto the patio doors. Standing there was the man responsible for this travesty; here was Dr. Mario. The Dark Prescriber grew wide-eyed with shock, stunned to see Marth was walking around, and not in a trophy. The Hero-King showed nothing but bloody murder. He quickly unsheathed the Falchion, then rushed for Dr. Mario in a flash. Flourishing his blade, he nearly caught Dr. Mario off guard. He slashed for his foe, who quickly coated his arm with his white sheet. Marth's blade and Dr. Mario's arm clashed, with the Dark Prescriber swiping the blade from killing him. Instead, Marth's sword clashed with the glass patio doors separating the penthouse from the pool, causing it all to crack and shatter.

Glass sprinkled on the ground, while Dr. Mario and Marth pulled back from one another. The Hero-King – with murder in his eyes – glared towards his foe, who stared back with his eyes sliding into a battle-ready stare. The two said nothing and did nothing, merely sizing one another up for this fight.

"You... YOU!" Marth shouted, "Where is she!? Tell me! Tell me now!"

Of course, Dr. Mario said nothing. Instead, a cocky smirk appeared on his lips.

"Fine then... be that way. Say nothing..." Marth growled, "I don't care. I merely end you here and now. And then I'll skewer the entire lands in search of your partner and Peach. None will be spared my wrath until I find her!"

His statement garnered a sick chuckle from the doctor in black, who began to cackle electricity around his hands and fists.

"Let's a go!" Dr. Mario said.

His taunt infuriated Marth, who ran at him at full speeds. Leaping high into the air, he brought the Falchion down upon Dr. Mario, who skillfully leaped back to dodge it. Dr. Mario threw his hands forward in a counter, trying to electrocute the Hero-King. But Marth stepped past the blow, countering by thrusting his hilt into Dr. Mario's face. The Dark Prescriber stepped back from the blow, while Marth pulled back for a finishing stab.

His blade jabbed forth, precision aim for Dr. Mario's chest. His enemy quickly brought his arms down to block it, causing Marth's blade to stab into Dr. Mario's magical sheet. The piercing was far stronger than any slash Marh had performed in the past, as he used the very tip. The stab tore through Dr. Mario's sheet and pushed him back, throwing the Dark Prescriber upon his back.

Marth approached him slowly, his Falchion still sitting firmly in his hands. He pointed the blade down towards Dr. Mario, who glared back up with electricity in his eyes. There was no place for him to run, as he was pinned between the ground and Marth's blade.

"Last chance," bellowed the Hero-King, "Tell me where Peach is, or no one will ever find your Trophy to revive you," he tapped his blade against his enemy's chin, "I have long since lost all patience with you, Dr. Mario. I have right a mind to fulfill my threat."

"Ah-ha! I recommend you let go!" a voice called, not from behind, but from above.

Marth looked up with his blade still pinned on Dr. Mario, his eyes sliding to a young pink-haired girl, with glowing eyes. She snickered as she stared down to Marth, her axe laying within her hands. More importantly, standing tall beside her, was Peach's trophy. It was chained down to the ground; added insurance in case Peach somehow awoke from her trophy.

"Let it go, Marth," Morta said as she tapped Peach's trophy, "I have bottomless pockets, you see? They can fit anything inside of them; no matter the size. So it would be quite sad if... Princess Peach here was _never_ seen again. Lost in pockets too deep to ever search through. So I recommend you step back from Dr. Mario. Let's talk like gentlemen, hm?"

Marth glared at Morta, his murderous intentions still showing in full. The glare made Morta giggle with delight. Dr. Mario however rolled his eyes, as he couldn't believe he was being saved by Morta of all people.

Marth himself hated this. He hated the idea of bending to either of their whims. But Morta had Peach, which was his greatest concern at the moment. He pulled Falchion away from Dr. Mario's neck, who quickly recoiled onto his feet. Shortly after, balloons flew up from Morta's back, bringing her into the air. She flew over Marth, and landed right beside her partner, while the Hero-King ran for Peach. He leaped up the side of the building quickly, climbing to the rooftop, and running to Peach's side. Without a hint of hesitation, he tapped the base of her trophy, causing a valiant glow that covered Peach whole.

"Ah! Ha! Ha! Pfffftttt!? Achoo!?"

"Peach!"

"M-Marth?"

She looked up to him, as she grew weak in the knees. Nearly falling over, the Hero-King held her up with his arms. Then he gently laid her on the ground, garnering a cute little 'thank you' from the princess in pink. His face grew softer at the sight of Peach, alive and well after what just happened. She wasn't even comatose like after she was stricken by Giga Bowser. Peach stared back with a smile, her hand resting gently upon his cheek.

"Marth..." she whispered.

"I'm sorry," he replied, as these tears began to stream unconsciously from his face, "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean for this to happen! I... I shouldn't have said what I said earlier! Of course you care! I can't... I can't believe what I—!?" he couldn't finish his words, "Peach, I'm sorry! I'm so so so so sorry. I'm so—mmm?"

He felt lips on his lips, silencing him shut. Marth gazed down into Peach's soft, closed eyes, as her puffy lips met his lips. She was kissing him, much like he did the day before. Only now, they were both conscious, both able to feel it. It felt every bit as magical as the last time; no, it was even better. Feeling Peach's warmth and life resonate from her body, from her lips, into his lips. It was positively elating, and made him close his eyes. He melted into the kiss, his entire body calming down.

And Peach, she couldn't believe what she was doing. Kissing Marth like this? It felt both weird and yet... so _amazing_. So _right_ , even. So familiar as well, as if they had done this before. She only kissed him to shut him up; she didn't expect it to feel as great as it did. Was it wrong to say that she wanted _more_ of this? That she wanted to kiss him even more than just this once? That she didn't want to _stop_ kissing him? Was it wrong?

Was it wrong?

She finally pulled back, and her eyes opened up. Those angelic blue eyes of hers stared into his eyes. He must have looked goofy, with a face of surprise. She merely stared back with a smile, as if what happened was usual.

"Peach..." he whispered breathlessly.

"I forgive you," she responded, before closing her eyes and leaning her head against his head, "I forgive you..."

 _BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

Marth and Peach stared around to the bombs sitting around them. There were various bombs; gooey bombs, mines, Bomb-ombs. You name it, they were there. They were all pulsating as well, looking as if they were about to detonate at any point in time. Marth frowned at the sight; of course it would be a trap. There was no way Morta would willingly give Peach up, even in exchange for Dr. Mario.

"Aaaahhh... these chains!" he bemoaned as he began to pull on the chains that bound Peach to the ground, "Let me just get these off and-"

"Marth!" Peach suddenly interrupted, making him stop, "Don't worry. I've got this."

She suddenly stood up tall, stunning Marth as he watched the chains that bound her fall away like nothing.

"Wait, but... how?" he inquired.

"Oh come on, Marth! I get kidnapped and chained up so often, I've figured out how to get out of these for years now! Oh! But don't tell Bowser; he still thinks they work!"

"Are you alright?" Morta asked off Dr. Mario as she looked to her partner, who merely rolled his eyes, "Oh, don't take that tone with me; I just saved you, Dr. Mario. I know you're grateful, you don't have to act all masculine around me. We're friends, right?" he then turned around with his arms crossed, garnering a snicker from his partner, "Fine... be that way. We won, that's all that matters. In three... two... one..."

 _KA-BOOOOOOM!_

A wicked a large explosion roared from the top of the penthouse, as multiple explosions roared out. The entire roof of the hotel shook, throwing out bits of debris. Morta laughed as she stared up to the explosion, her hands on her belly as tears of pleasure roamed down her face. She always enjoyed fair levels of carnage.

"Too much! Too much!" she cried, "I don't even think their trophies could've survived an explosion that strong! This is too much! Too much! Oh~hohohohohohohoho!" _THONK!_ "Ow... what!?"

Dr. Mario and Morta gazed in shock towards the opposite end of the outdoor patio, their eyes falling upon Marth and Peach. The she-devil could only shake her head back and forth in disbelief at the sight; at least Peach should have been rendered a trophy! How could they have possibly escaped the chains _and_ the explosion?

"No no no no no no no," Morta said in disbelief as she walked backwards, floored by the sight in front of her, "How did you...?"

She was immediately pushed out of the way by Dr. Mario, who settled his electrical eyes on the Hero-King. Falchion in hand, Marth slowly looked over to Peach.

"Peach... do you mind if I...?"

"Oh no no, go ahead," she said as she patted his behind, "Go and beat them up for me. _My_ _hero._ "

Nodded in confirmation, Marth immediately turned to face Dr. Mario once again. Walking towards the Dark Prescriber, he watched as his hands started surging with electricity. Marth showed no fear however, as his eyes instead turned a golden-yellow color. The sight brought fear to Dr. Mario's face. A fear born half in confusion, and half in realization.

Marth raised his blade high, catching the light of the stars above, and the lights of Saffron around them. Said light formed an 'X' shape at the tip of his heavenly blade, and began to glow brightly. Marth pulled back, then flew forward along the ground at blinding speeds. His sword immediately slashed across Dr. Mario's chest and body, the power of it draining all the life within the Dark Prescriber. His eyes grew wide, as a mighty golden sheen began to appear on his body. And then the immediate force of Marth's powerful strike flung Dr. Mario into the far distance, who in midair began to turn into a trophy. All he could think about was the power of Marth's strike, and how he had done what they thought was impossible.

He performed a Final Smash.

Morta stared into the distance, where Dr. Mario was flung. He vanished among the horizon, leaving her all alone. With fear present on her face, she turned around to face Peach and Marth. The Hero-King was still battle-ready, though his eyes had lost their yellow glow, and his body lost its fiery aura. Still, both Peach _and_ Marth facing her? This was a losing battle alright.

"I can't believe... but... how?" said the pink-haired she devil, as balloon appeared at her back.

Using the balloons, she flew up into the air, and began flying for the distance. Marth thought about chasing her, but knew it would be pointless. By the time he made it to the bottom floor of this building, she would already be long gone. For now, Morta had escaped, meaning she and Dr. Mario would be back. Sooner or later.

"I can't afford to lose, you see?" Marth whispered to himself, "For my friends... for Princess Peach..."

He sheathed his blade, taking a deep breath after doing so. He was already tired before this mess, and was now borderline exhausted. Sitting down on the ground, he gazed out towards the glowing lights of Saffron City. Now his eyes hung heavy and low, and his heart began to calm. He took in a deep breath and clenched his heart, before watching as a certain princess in pink sat down beside him.

She rested her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes, giving a cute little groan. His eyes closed too, as he leaned his head against her head, and groaned with pleasure as well.

"I'm tired, Marth," Peach said to him, making him nod.

"I'm tired too..." he replied, before opening his eyes lowly, "Peach... about what I said earlier... I'm sorry for ever accusing you of such a thing. That was terrible and out of place. I shouldn't have done such a horrible thing..."

"It's alright, Marth," she said as she opened her eyes to stare at him, "Perhaps... why I was mad at you so was because..." she took in a deep breath, "A part of me thinks you were _right._ I have been playing around. You've been so serious and I've been... acting like I don't really care. Dressing you up in clothes, driving us to penthouses... I haven't been as serious with this as you have. And for that... I'm truthfully sorry," her eyes closed and she tipped her head down, "I... I do care though. I care about my friends so much. I care about my people. I care about Mario... for Zelda... for Toadsworth. And..." her eyes opened up so she could look into his eyes, "I care about _you_ Marth," then her eyes closed shut again, as she rested her head upon his body once more, "Do... do you care about _me_?"

"Peach..." he replied as he looked over to her soft face that now crept up his dreams and memories. It made him smile, as he closed his eyes as well, "I _do_ care about you."

The smile on her face grew larger then. Not in any goofy fashion, but enough to show that his words were reciprocated.

"Thank you..." she replied, "That... means a _lot_ to me..."

The moon looked so beautiful at this time of day. And then Zapdos flew by.

…

"You never told me about your parents, Marth," Peach said as she looked at him.

He was taken off guard by her sudden question, and it made him stop. He looked over to Peach, who stood there with her hair in a ponytail, and these overalls on her body. Her umbrella was out, using it to mask her identity. She was known worldwide after all, so it was pretty easy to pick her out of a bunch of hundreds. He though? Outside the lands of Archanea, you'd rarely meet a person who spoke of the Hero-King.

The summer sky was above them, that gentle breeze roughly against them. The hustle and bustle of Saffron City sat all around them, though noticeably muted in the park. Here – in said park – there were many people, simply playing around with their Pokemon, and enjoying their day.

The Princess of Toadstools and the Hero-King were among them, even though they should be on their way. The motorcycle they graciously 'borrowed' from Cloud sat outside the park, silent. This was Peach's idea; a way to unwind after what happened the previous night. They both needed it, really, even though time was of the essence.

"I'm sorry, what, Peach?" he said, making her giggle with delight.

"Your parents!" she stated as she sat down on a park bench, "You never told me about your parents, Marth."

"Hm... I never really have much to say about my parents," he said as he sat beside her, "My father was king of Altea before me. He... was quite hard on me. We went out hunting often and..." he shook his head as a frown took his lips, "He often berated me for not hunting as well as he did, or sparing animals when I shouldn't have. I often cried to my mother because of this..."

"Awwww, I can just imagine little Marth," Peach cooed with delight, "Crying to mommy."

"Heh heh, yeah, I suppose," he replied with a chuckle, "Ummm... my father was often hard on me though... it took me years after his death to understand why. Being king is not easy, Peach. I wish I had my father to help me through all the battles I'd go through in the years. All the fights... even in my youth... he was preparing me for them."

"How did your father die?" Peach asked, face of concern.

"He died fighting Maedus and his forces... an evil dragon from the ancient times. Only the Falchion was capable of defeating him. But we were betrayed by people we trusted. My father was killed, they stormed my castle, my mother was killed and... I went into exile."

Peach looked up to Marth, noticing the shift in his demeanor. He was so composed earlier, but now appeared shaken. He wasn't sad, but he wasn't completely okay either. He was _disturbed_ , as the best explanation for his behavior. However, he didn't look _bad_ , he just looked contemplative. Almost as if a realization had settled over him.

"Marth..." she whispered, making him look over to her with a 'hm?' "Marth... I'm sorry... I shouldn't have brought it up."

"No, it's alright," he said as he pulled on the collar of his shirt, "I've... never really talked about it before. I think it's best that I should, though," he smirked, "Thank you, Princess. I feel as if a weight has been lifted off my shoulders."

"Hmmm," she responded with a smile, "I can see it..." she gave him a wink that gave off sparkles, "You look a tad bit more... _relaxed_ , I'd say. More composed..." she laughed, "It looks so cute on you, Marth!"

"Alright, alright," he said as he attempted to laugh it off, "You don't have to do all that, Peach."

The two had a good laugh with one another, before calming themselves down. Looking into each others eyes, Marth found his hand moving to touch Peach's hand. She didn't wilt from the touch, instead grabbing upon his. They held hands with one another, like any other couple in this massive park. And they clenched it close.

"What does this make us now?" she asked him, a question he had never entertained until this very moment, "Marth... I don't want... to..." she looked down briefly, "I don't want to _lose_ you. That's... that's what I mean..."

"I... Peach..." he whispered, making her look back up to him, "I..." he took in a deep breath, and closed his eyes, "Princess..." Peach closed her eyes as well, "I... don't..." they slowly moved in further, "I... _can't_..." their noses touched one another, "Lose you..."

And their lips met. It was a mutual movement this time, not born out of surprise or accident. No, the two kissed one another. Nothing too deep, nothing too long, but their lips met. Soft, puffy lips, upon thin ones. Their hands sitting with one another, while they seemingly melted into each others words.

When they pulled back, they realized things would change. They'd try to hide it, but there would be no point. What was it exactly that existed within them? Love? Lust? Both? Neither? Perhaps this relationship was only here because of the situation they were placed in. What if Marth had escaped with Zelda instead of Peach? Would things have been different? Would things have happened similarly, only with Zelda in Peach's stead? Or maybe things were supposed to happen this way. As if it would be _impossible_ to happen any other way. It was hard to tell, and neither side really wished to entertain the thought.

Instead they pulled back from one another, with Peach forming a smile with her lips.

"You were crying earlier," she said with a giggle, as her blue eyes fluttered open, "When you turned me back to normal."

"I was only crying because the night wind got into my eyes," Marth replied as he stood up from the bench, causing Peach to do likewise, "Now let's make way for Ganondorf. We have wasted enough time already."

"Hey! Don't try to change the subject!" Peach said as she followed him on the way to the motorcycle, "Marth! Wait up!"

There was truly a wonderful smell and taste in the summer breeze that day. For both Peach and Marth, it felt like a huge weight of acceptance had finally be brought off of their shoulders.

…

Her hand tapped against his base. A golden light shined all around his body, transforming stone and marble into flesh and blood. The golden base at the bottom vanished as well, freeing the man for movement. He rubbed his head first, as he was rather disorientated by what had happened. When it was all over, he stared up to see a pink-haired she devil, and her face in a frown.

Dr. Mario glared up to Morta, rather confused about their situation. He laid in a forest, having been knocked there by Marth's attack the previous night. The sun was just above them, poking through the canopies above. But he nor she cared much for that; they were instead angered by their most recent defeat. However, Morta had more pressing information.

"They're in _love_ ," she said, which confused Dr. Mario, "That's why he's capable of pulling off Final Smashes without the need of a Smash Ball. I wouldn't be surprised if she could do it as well, she just hasn't been given the chance..."

When she said those words, so much spite and venom existed within her mouth. It almost seemed as if Morta would puke just from uttering the statement.

"We're out of our league, Dr. Mario," she stated, "If they can pull of Final Smashes whenever they please... then what does that make of us? No matter who I summon, no matter how hard we fight, if danger comes to either of them, the other will simply get stronger. If we face a Final Smash – if we face _two_ Final Smashes – then that will be the end of us."

Dr. Mario nodded; for a change, Morta was actually speaking some truth. If they fight Marth and Peach who have the ability to perform Final Smashes without the aid of a Smash Ball, then they were effectively doomed. But where do they go from here?

"I say we return to Millennium Court," Morta claimed as she brushed hair from her face, "I'm not about to go and die pointlessly, when they'll amass their army regardless. We'll be stronger there with _our_ army. The Ancient Minister can shoot as much blasts at me as he wants; I am not about to continue such a pointless endeavor."

Morta's hand reached into her bottomless pocket, where it returned with a Warp Star. Climbing upon it, she reached out to Dr. Mario. He joined her on the star, and they rocketed off to the skies. As they flew off, the doctor's eyes moved toward Saffron City. He glared at the sight.

"I told you, you were weak," Morta snarled.

He glared back at her, and said nothing. They took off for the horizon.

* * *

 _Maverick Talks!_

 _This is so weird. I originally intended to post these all quickly since I had most of them written already, but I just... didn't. I suppose you can blame it on laziness, but I blame it on the fact that I'm not as prevalent on this website as I used to be. I should really get back into the swing of writing fan fiction, but it's just not as overpowering over my life as it should be. But now I digress..._

 _Saffron Spices is the name of this chapter, and what do ya'know! It takes place in Saffron, but no spices to be seen. I chose Saffron for this chapter because it was, like, my favorite level in SSB64. Having all those Pokemon fly out of the door and strike people, ah, it was a blast! I'm so sad it never came back. When we modded SSBB, we added back Saffron City. Well, I did. It was a cool little mod too, with it being all dark and raining. Ah, good times..._

 _Also, for this chapter, Peach and Marth don't gain any new allies. Originally, I planned for Wolf and Jigglypuff to join them in here, but I just couldn't imagine how Wolf and Jigglypuff would. Or why, for that matter. I can imagine them getting Jigglypuff willingly, but I suppose they'd have to pay Wolf to get him to move. Especially if its to save Fox and Falco. Then again, knowing wolf..._

 _The chapter also delves deeper into the emotional attachments between Marth and Peach. As stated before, this story was originally a gift for a friend of mine who shipped the two together. This chapter, I decided to have them just grow closer to one another. Fall more in love, I suppose. I ended up reading more about them on their wikis to get them more factual as well. For Peach, it was easy, as I've been playing Mario games since forever. I mean, who hasn't? Still, the 'Great Demon King Koopa' thing was new information for me. Marth was a little harder, as at the time of writing this, I wasn't as big on Fire Emblem as I am now. I would probably still be a bit wrong on his historical facts anyway._

 _Also, I wanted Peach to use her Final Smash for this story, but just couldn't figure out how. Like, it's easy for Marth to use his; he just hits you really, really hard! But if Peach used hers, then what would stop her from just turning Dr. Mario and Morta into Trophies, burying them, and ending the conflict with our two attackers so quickly? If you think about it, Peach's Final Smash is really overpowered. At least in the context of this story._

 _Anyway, that's the end of this chapter. Join is next time where Peach and Marth take on their next opponent. And, no, this time it won't be a certain evil doctor and a crazed villager._

 _Next time, it'll be the most sinister opponent in all of Nintendo history._

 _And this time, you won't have to wait months._

 _Promise._

 _Maverick Kay Prime_


	7. Ganondorf

Ganondorf

He was unsure how to continue, really. Peach seemed so happy with their – less than understandable – relationship. The idea of having Peach with him – to _always_ have Peach with him – was a thought he found quite entertaining. And yet at the same time, he felt incredibly _disgusted._ Not only with himself, but with their entire relationship. It felt like a betrayal.

His hands ran through his hair, as the loud pitter-patter of rain pelted the building he rested in. The Hero-King's eyes gazed to the ceiling, his arms crossed over one another. He couldn't close his eyes, as he waited his partner to return. She was finishing up the necessary things for their renting of this room. Funny that; he always thought himself a negotiator. Turns out he was only a good talker whenever he was in a room of people armed with weapons. When it came to conversing with people – normal everyday people – she had him beat tenfold.

Marth pulled up from the couch he rested upon, tugging upon the side of his collar. It was slightly unbuttoned, showing a bit of his chest beneath. He was lax now, appearing lazy and bored; something quite out of character for the usually flamboyant Hero-King. Falchion rested near the edge of his seat, and he rested his hand upon it. Gripping it tightly, he brought the blade up into his hands. The Falchion slipped out of its sheath, as he raised it into the air. Taking a deep breath, the young man pointed the blade forward as if he was preparing for a fence.

The room he currently stood in was relatively small; nothing special, especially when compared to the penthouse from before. There weren't that many items around in the wood-furnished room, save for the chairs, the couch, and a few tables. He wasn't going to be too wild with his training; he didn't want to ruin the few things actually around.

"Ha!"

With skill and grace, Marth began to fence with the air. His blade swiped through it, as if striking some invisible opponent. He'd advance, retreat, advance, retreat, and strike at nothing, and defend against some invisible blow. This was more than just pointless training however; he did it more to settle the war raging in his mind.

Why him? Why Peach? Why were they together? Why did he have these weird feelings for the Princess? While this new... _relationship_ , was something mutually agreed upon by the both of them, it still felt like a deranged animal to him. The term 'relationship' was something Lucina spoke of often, but an ideal lost on the Hero-King. He was always swamped within his work; whether it be his studies, his kingdom, or help in saving the world. Whichever came first.

And yet here he was with Peach, someone who had made him rethink the term 'relationship'. Could such a thing even be possible between them two? It wouldn't be casual, that's for sure. Peach was a Princess in her own right; the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom, in fact. They couldn't date, trade notes, have nights on the town like high school lovers. No, their jobs were far more demanding than this subtle courting.

He approached on his invisible target, while a shock of lighting flared outside. It was raining harder now, but that's not all. That flash of lightning jolted thoughts into Marth's mind. He could imagine a certain man in a dark cape, who wore a red tie. He bore not only the image of a doctor, but also the mannerisms and face of a certain world-renowned hero.

Gritting his teeth, all the Hero-King could think of now was Dr. Mario, and his partner Morta. They were truly the bane of his existence, made worse with the belief that they were out there. Were they still chasing them down? Perhaps. Or, had his Final Smash finally put Dr. Mario out of commission? Very unlikely.

As he pulled back with his sword in hand, Marth's eyes slid into a glare. Suddenly performing a series of precise stabs, he caused the air to bend and break. They say Meta Knight can break the sound barrier with his word alone; sometimes Marth believes he's gotten close.

As sweat poured down his brow, the Hero-King straightened back up. He dragged his hand against his head and gave a calmed sigh, while his eyes closed shut. In the darkness of his mind, all he could see was sparkles. She was rapidly evading every bit of his mind, his _body_ even. How many times had they kissed since the other night? He was ashamed of saying he had lost count. No longer was gaining a kiss on the cheek enough for him; Marth wanted it from the source, and _only_ from the source.

Why is that? Why did he want her so much? He could no longer blame it on the lust; they never had time to... well... _consummate_ their relationship, as one would say. It's not like he was in much of a hurry to do so anyway, as it was all still very confusing to him. How would Peach react to his advancements? Would she push him away? Or, perhaps, was she more used to such emotions than he was? She did produce hearts with her hands, after all.

Suddenly battle-ready, his eyes opened up. He tried to force the thoughts of he and Peach's relationship out of his mind, but it was nigh impossible. The more he avoided those thoughts, the more they crept into his mind. It wasn't lust that bound him to Peach's form and body; it was love. He cared for her. Cared for her smile, her day, her emotions as well. He didn't mind holding a conversation with her; it was all very stimulating. Never had he felt this way around a woman.

Not since...

 _CREEAAAAAAKKK!_

"Ha!?"

"Ah-ha!?"

His sword suddenly struck the table in the room, accidentally so. As if cutting through heated butter, the Falchion was easily capable of snapping the wooden table in twain. He looked to the door, as his training had been interrupted by the girl he tried to ignore. Peach stared at him in her overalls, stunned by his antics, while a paper bag sat in her hands. He could only gaze back with a shocked expression, while a blush of embarrassment took his face. Then the table fell in two.

"Um... I brought food..." said Peach, her face not shifting from its current image.

Thunder struck.

…

"... So I throw a Bomb-omb and... _BOOM!_ Just like that, all the Koopalings drop like flies! They just couldn't take the sight of one of the things! Let alone an explosion!"

Peach almost fell back in her chair as she laughed, recanting a tale from long ago. She had dropped her fork into her plate, not even caring as she clung to her belly to settle her laughter. The Hero-King watched as his partner nearly fainted from laughter, as she felt the story was too funny to keep in. While he found the tale entertaining, Marth didn't share the same exact level of enthusiasm as the pink princess.

But this wasn't too bad. After all, watching Peach laugh was most enjoyable. Every part of her body seemed to brighten up like a bulb, as she failed to keep her sparkles in check. Rainbows even shined from her hair and fingers; it was all very cute.

He smirked at the sight, before sticking a piece of chicken meat into his mouth. It was a boneless piece of chicken, having also been soaked within some sort of sauce. Much like Peach's current mood, it was all very delight.

Yet Marth held this frown on his face. It was accidental; not even he knew he was frowning so. He merely ate his food without a second thought, listening to his paramours story.

"So... I grab the cape," Peach said as she calmed down, "Jump out the window and start flying, and...?" she looked towards Marth, whose lackluster eyes laid upon his food. Raising an eyebrow, her face became on of inquisition and concern for the Hero-King, as he felt out of it, "Marth, dear?... is... is something wrong?"

"Hm, what?" he replied as he looked up, confused as he Peach's eyes were on him, "I'm sorry, did something happen, Peach? I... uh... wasn't paying attention..."

"Is everything alright, Marth?" she repeated, cocking her head to get a better look at her, "You look... kind of..." she made weird gestures with her hand, "Out of it? I'd say... are you okay? Does this deal with the table? I already said I'll handle it."

"No... it has nothing to do with the table," he assured with a chuckle, "I'm... I'm sorry, Peach. I've just been kinda..." he shrugged his shoulders, "Thinking... about things..."

"Well... do you mind sharing them?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" he retorted.

"What do you mean, what do I mean?" she asked back, "You're thinking about things, right? I'm not trying to be evasive, but... do you care to share what's on your mind? I mean..." she blushed, her eyes sliding away from his, "If we're going to be doing... _this_... I... I just think it'll be better if we... tell one another how we feel and... y-yeah..."

Marth looked away too, mulling over the details in his head. The idea of opening up to someone else about this thoughts wasn't something he really entertained. There weren't many people he was close with to actually converse with. On a personal level, that is. Lucina would be closest, perhaps, but that wasn't even one hundred percent true. The main problem laid with Marth himself; he had a friend once who he used to open up to. That friend betrayed him...

Of course, the same outcome wouldn't befall him and Peach; he was assured of that. Looking over to her, he also didn't want to upset the Princess of Toadstools. Blushing, he reached across the table silently, and touched her hand with his own. She stared up and over to him, shocked by his sudden touch. His lips were curled in a soft and small smile, that made her do likewise.

"I... I've been thinking, Peach," he said, "About... well... _us_... about our..." he took in a deep breath, "About our relationship..."

"Oh... oh..." she said, feeling a bit crestfallen, "I... I hope what you've been thinking about was good, Marth..."

He shrugged a bit, his eyes moving towards the rain-slick window.

"I can't say it was good... can't say it was bad either," he stated, "I was just... thinking..." he looked up to the ceiling, as his hand pulled back, "It's... weird... I've... I've never been in a relationship quite like this before," he chuckled, "Haven't really been around a woman who I wanted to be around that wasn't my mother, that is."

"Is that so?" Peach said, before she suddenly landed in his lap, catching him off guard, "I can see how that may be confusing for someone like you."

He looked up to Peach who sat in his lap, confused as to why she chose to sit on him like this. It's not like he was complaining; any touch or union of their was good enough for him. Looking up into her blue eyes, her stare was most calming anyway. One arm sat around her waist, the other arm sitting on her legs. His head leaned in to sit upon her chest, making him groan as if he rested against a pillow. She giggled from the touch, while her hand began to toil in his blue hair.

"If it makes you feel better... this is my first relationship like this, too," Peach claimed, which honestly surprised the Hero-King.

"You? Really?" he replied with a chuckle, "Why does that sound so weird?"

"Hey! Don't act like that!" she scolded, "I'm being honest; it's not like I've had hundreds of boyfriends over the years! Well, _real_ boyfriends, is what I mean. Um... would that be the correct term for you? My boyfriend?" the two shivered, "Feels... icky using that term. Like... we're too old to be using it."

"Too old? We aren't that old," he replied, "Why, I remember my first real battle like it was yesterday!... I'm not old..."

"I'm not old either!" she replied, "Perhaps we're just... _mature_... which may explain why we feel so... weird like this," her eyes closed, and she began to relax deeply, "But I like calling you that... calling you my _boyfriend_... in my head... is that wrong?"

"I don't think it's wrong..." he replied as he pulled back to look up to her, "It's... kinda cute, really. Being called someone's boyfriend..." he chuckled, "While... while it does sound slightly childish, I don't mind. I never really had a childhood to be childish, now do I?" he pursed his lips and kissed her arm, "Besides... it's no like I ever saw you as being all that mature in the first place."

"Hey, don't mock me like that..." she said, whilst framing his face with her own.

Their noses met first, until they kissed one another. Lips pressing into lips, Marth could feel Peach's gentle hands on his body. He too touched upon her, hugging her close to him. The room was silent, save for the pressuring of their lips upon one another. It was euphoric to the Hero-King's mind, as he had never felt such a bliss like this before.

Peach's lips were something otherworldly, so too her tongue. So much more skilled at this was she than he, as she gently slipped her tongue into his mouth. He could feel it slide into his mouth, and gently brush against his own. A low moan escaped the both of them, while Peach's fingers tightened the grip they had on his shoulders. His hands too gripped harder on her waist, as he didn't want to let her go.

They pulled back suddenly, while gasps escaped the two. Marth's hazy gaze stared up to Peach, and her cherry red face. She stared back too whilst panting, before forming a smile with her lips. Her finger traced down to his unbuttoned chest, gently drawing circles around his broad chest with a smile on her face. A cute little hum escaped her lips as well, while Marth felt a tenseness in his chest. Something caused by Peach's lithe touches.

"Marth..." she whispered, before her eyes closed shut, "Thanks for the lovely night. I'm a bit tired now... I think I'll go get some sleep."

She pulled himself from his lap just after, walking away and to the bedroom in this rented area. Marth sat on his chair with a distance gaze on his face, feeling his heart race. His hand clenched in and out over and over again, while the same blank stare existed on his eyes. Then he looked away.

Something inside of him seemed to click then. All he could imagine was Peach's kiss, and her tongue sliding into his mouth. It was a kiss unlike any other; his first kiss of such a caliber. On the lips, her tongue and his tongue. A magical feeling of deliciousness.

He stood up from the chair, making way towards Peach's room. The door was shut, yet the knob unlocked. He teased it, twisting it just slightly. He could feel his heart beat increase from the feeling of the steel knob in his hand, and the apprehension of what he was about to do. What _was_ he about to do? Not even the Hero-King knew.

He just knew he wanted _Peach._ He wanted her more than ever before. That kiss seemingly flipped a switch, making it impossible for him to think of anything but Peach. He cared not for the Millennium Court, for Dr. Mario or Morta, the Ancient Minister, Ganondorf, or even _himself_. Marth only wanted Peach, and at a far greater level than ever before. He wanted to feel her flesh against his flesh; meld his _soul_ with her _soul._

Such disgusting thoughts. They had a mission. This relationship was an affront to the gods themselves. He pulled back his hand as he fought off his urges. Closing his eyes, he felt himself tear up; just a little bit. He walked to the couch he rested upon earlier, and grasped the hilt of Falchion. Then his eyes closed shut.

"Princess..." he whispered.

…

"Alright... we're here..."

The motorcycle they road upon slid to a stop, giving a low sputter as it did so. The slender hand of Princess Peach slid to the key slot on the motorcycle, twisting and turning it. With the key out of the ignition, the vehicle grew deathly silent.

Deathly silent; the perfect description for the lands around them. They drove for hours upon a seemingly endless fields, before coming to a land filled with distraught trees. They were pitch black, appearing as if they had been set a blaze. They lacked foliage in their canopies, as black branches pointed to the skies. Many were shattered to pieces, and the ground beneath them was moist, soggy, and covered with a great mist.

Marth and Peach sat on the outskirts of this fog-laden forest, as death and malice floated through the air. Gone were the Hero-King's more modern clothes, as Peach had gratefully returned to him his Lord-class uniform. And after a pretty spin of her own, gone was Peach's leotard, replaced with her pink dress.

The skies were a putrid black in this demented area, swirling in a circle around the forest itself. Lightning cackled within every now and then, as if warning people to stay away. This was truly the domain of evil itself.

Peach found her heart being frozen in place as she stared towards the landscape. Having been captured by Bowser many times, she found Ganondorf's tastes and the Koopa's tastes to be completely different. Despite both being pure evil, Ganondorf's lair appeared more reserved in nature. Where tanks and battleships patrolled the lands outside of Bowser's Castle – not to mention rivers of flowing lava – Ganondorf's looked comparatively normal. To the naked eye, it would look like a normal – if not completely barren – forest. Yet an unmistakable evil wafted through the air; both enticing and disgusting.

"Marth..." Peach whispered as every hair on her body stood on end, "I... are... are you sure about this?"

"No..." he replied, as he dismounted from their motorcycle, "But I'm afraid we have very little choice in the manner..."

He placed his hands on his hips as he trailed to the very edge of the area, his boot-clad foot tapping upon dead grass. As soon as he did so, a blistering shiver coursed throughout his body, making him cringe. He pulled back quickly, like a cat being startled, and his blue eyes cut towards the forest. It was a motion Peach would usually tease, but felt very little need to do. As she stood off from their motorcycle, she too took an apprehensive step towards the outer rim of Ganondorf's domain. The same feeling of fear and dread overcame her, forcing her to pull back.

"How...?" she whispered to herself as she gripped her elbows.

"It's unlike anything I've ever felt before..." Marth whispered to himself as he sucked air through his nose, "Alright... Peach..."

Marth would be lying if he said this wasn't scaring him. Having been a hero of many battles, he felt particularly terrified by this instance. Traveling into the lair of a man known as 'the King of Evil', is usually saved for a blonde-haired fellow who was chosen by the gods himself. Not for a blue-haired Hero-King and a Princess of Toadstools. And while the Falchion was a holy blade in its own right, it doesn't really compare to a sword also known as the 'Blade of Evil's Bane'. Besides, the Falchion was specifically made to fight off evil dragons, not evil demon pig things.

But what could they do? They were trapped between a rock and a hard place; either they attempted to talk with Ganondorf, or they return to the bubble empty handed. Was that such a bad idea either? They had Cloud, Ike, Ness and Lucas, as well as anyone else Cloud and Ike had gotten to their side. Was Ganondorf truly worth it?

Yes. Compared to all they went through, he was worth it. They would just have to protect one another.

Marth felt Peach's hand slid in with his. He looked over to her, reading her distraught face. She shook her head in a 'no' fashion, even though she knew they'd have to go through it. Marth himself put on a brave face in an attempt to reinforce themselves, but it didn't work. As soon as he looked back, his face became just as fearful as hers.

"Alright..." he said to himself as he took a step forward, "Let's go."

He felt Peach's hand tighten upon his, as he took the first step into Ganondorf's domain. Just as before, an insidious spire of gloom overcame him, but he pressed on regardless. Peach did likewise, even though she felt her blue eyes waver in its shine. The sparkles she sought for protection even dimmed out a tiny bit, as if light itself couldn't escape the darkness around them.

Their feet sank into the marshlands, making Peach sneer with disgust. She truly wished she put on one of her more durable articles of clothing, instead of her usual dress. Marth was dressed a bit better for the land, as his Lord attire gave him a rather comfortable pair of boots. Her dress appropriate shoes – those white slippers of hers – constantly sank down into the marshlands. Peach gasped as she found herself being eaten by the swamps, her eyes growing wide.

She quickly hopped out of the swamp lands, pinning her eyes on the ground beneath her. She hated the feeling of the mud and gunk seeping into her shoes, and constantly began hopping around as to avoid it.

"What are you doing?" Marth asked as he looked at the Princess.

"Avoiding the mud!" she replied, "Ill! Ill! It's so gross! So nasty! So gross, so nasty!"

Marth sighed and rolled his eyes, brushing hair out of his face while his paramour acted like a child. So far, they hadn't toiled in anything too bad. While Peach struggled to march through the marshlands, the Hero-King continued walking through. He felt his breathing getting caught up in his throat, while the malevolent air floated all around them. He stared about in circles, seeing nothing but endless fogs and deadly trees.

That was until...

 _Clip... Clop..._

"What was that?" Peach asked as she suddenly straightened up, her blue eyes staring through the desolate forest.

Marth, wising up to the situation, quickly withdrew the Falchion. He combed the immediate area with his eyes in a circle, searching for the mysterious sound. Peach pressed her back to his back, wielding her frying pan much like he held his blade. The two stared about in search for this sound, though they could see nothing. Until...

 _CLIP... CLOP..._

"Um... that was louder," Peach commented, while Marth gritted his teeth, "Do you see anything?"

"I don't see anything," Marth replied.

 _CLIP! CLOP!_

"Okay! That was really loud!" Peach remarked.

Marth gritted his teeth and growled, while a shaded figure appeared in the distance. It was large, larger than the two of them anyway, and was impossible to tell who or what it was from this distance. It grew closer with every passing second, larger as well. Peach eventually noticed the being as well, and gasped from the sight. A pair of burning red eyes sat on the beast, glaring straight for them.

Marth readied his sword to strike this foe, but stole himself from doing so. When the being broke free of the fog, what he stared at was not a monster, but a horse. A very large, very demonic, very _powerful_ looking horse, but a horse nonetheless. The equine with the red eyes stopped at Peach and Marth, with a neigh and a whiny no less.

The fur of the horse was pitch black, much like charcoal. Its eyes were a burning red, like flowing lava or blood. It's entire body was armed for battle; its chest, its legs, its back, its face. It was a war horse of another kind, one that would fearlessly charge into battle with its owner on its back. The horse put to shame many others in its league; no doubt this was the horse of Ganondorf himself.

"Well... it has a face only a mother could love," Peach said as she approached the horse, placing a hand upon its head. It allowed her to pet its head, and bent to her touches as well, "But it's a gentle thing, that much is for sure."

"Peach, please," Marth said as he pushed her back, "We don't even know where this thing came from!"

"It clearly came from Ganondorf," Peach said as she looked at him, "So it clearly knows something we don't know," she looked back to the steed, "I think we should follow it. Perhaps it'll take us to Ganondorf..."

"Or it'll take us to our doom... wh-what? Peach, what are you doing?"

With shock, he watched as Peach daintily mounted the horse put before them. He could just stare up with eyes of shock, his mind blown by her actions. Why would she just throw caution to the wind like this; no wonder she get's kidnapped so often!

"Peach, what are you doing!?" he gasped as he pulled on his hair.

"Getting us some results," Peach replied as she settled down on the horse's back.

"We don't even know where this thing will take us!" he replied, "How can you be so carefree about this?"

"I'm not scared," she replied, before facing him and winking, "My _hero_ is here with me."

To that, Marth had no reply. He merely nodded, trusting Peach and her instincts. The horse she road upon turned around, walking down the same path it came in on. Marth followed closely behind, taking in deep breaths through his nostrils. He walked beside the horse, not trusting enough of it to ride it like Peach did. He also kept the Falchion ready in his grasp, just in case any sudden trap was sprung upon them.

They trailed through the forest for what felt like hours, he nor Peach uttering a word. They stared about in search of either Ganondorf's castle, or any sort of trap. However, they felt a sudden heat increase in the area. They broke through the forests, entering a clearing that looked like an entrance into hell itself.

A massive pit sat immediately before them, with lava flowing through it in circles. Hovering above said pit on a sharp piece of earth, was a pitch black castle. It was the tallest thing in sight, touching the very clouds just above. In fact, the swirling storm clouds they saw as they entered the forest, spiraled around the castle itself. There appeared to be no pathway to the castle, as it floated a massive distance away from land. And yet, the draw bride of this kingdom was down, as if ushering people to enter its satanic halls.

Marth felt his heart freeze up in his chest as he gazed up to the hovering castle. This was Ganondorf's castle alright; there was no denying this fact. Now there was only the problem of how to get _inside_ the castle; they couldn't just stand outside of it all day.

"So... any ideas?" Marth asked, making Peach shrug.

"I could try hovering over there... but I don't think I'd actually make it..." she replied, before entering a thinking pose, "Shoot... if only I brought a Super Leaf or Cape Feather... or one of those Propeller Mushrooms... then maybe we could fly up there." _RUUUUURRRRRMMMMMM!_ "What the!?"

The earth beneath their feet suddenly began to shake, alerting Peach and Marth. Ganondorf's steed appeared not too bothered by this face, as it remained stoically calm. From the dark castle hovering before them, a sudden ray of light shot out to the ground. This ray of light took the form of a rainbow bridge, that shined brightly.

When the bridge was properly formed, the duo stared upon it. Marth took the first step, tapping the bridge of light with his boot. He didn't fall straight through it; instead, the bridge was incredibly sturdy, and didn't budge an inch. Taking a deep, relaxing breath, Marth simply gave a nod. He took one more step, before being pushed back.

"Aaaaaiiiiieeeeee!? Maaaaaaarrrthh!" Peach shouted, as Ganondorf's steed suddenly took off at full speeds.

"Peeeaaachh!" Marth shouted back, as he immediately took off in chase.

Marth was always recognized as the fast swordsman in all the lands, but his speeds didn't really compare to those of a horse. He dashed along the bridge in chase of Peach and the horse, but it quickly out sped him. The horse roared into the building before them, vanishing into the darkness of its entrance. At the same time, the bridge of light formed to gain admittance into Ganondorf's tower began to fade away. Marth didn't stop moving, and instead picked up the pace to out run his rapidly vanishing footing.

Before the bridge could give way beneath his body, the Hero-King gave an impressive leap. When he landed, it wasn't on the bridge of light or instead in a lake of lava, but instead on the bridge of Ganondorf's castle. He took a deep breath as he stood on solid footing, but said footing turned into fear as the draw bridge suddenly pulled up. Marth was nearly knocked off the opposite way, but quickly pulled himself up and over. The Hero-King fell down, landing on the stone floors of Ganondorf's castle.

The drop nearly rendered Marth unconscious. Had it not been for the screams of Peach, he probably would have fainted. Instead, those screams egged him on, making him pull up. His blue eyes stared ahead into dark desolate halls. The walls were black, the floors covered in a red and gold carpet, and torches lit the path deeper inside. Yet there was an unmistakable evil that flowed through the area like miasma.

"Peach!" Marth yelled as he readied Falchion in his hand.

This time, there was no answer. Instead, he heard a sudden organ blare. The sound shook Marth too his care; it was dreadful, absolutely ominous, and stilled fear within the young king. Despite the sound, he bit his lip and swallowed his spit, before trekking deeper inside of Ganondorf's castle.

There was no sound of the horse, no sound of Peach either, only the sound of an organ piano being played. The sound thundered through the many, many halls of this castle, and made it virtually impossible for Marth to tell his way through. When he came to the castle's main lobby, he couldn't help but to note how _barren_ it was. His journey had not been hampered by any sort of villainous creature or henchman. It was almost as if Ganondorf was _inviting_ him.

The Hero-King began to trail up the spiral staircase that existed within the main lobby. The further higher he climbed, the louder the organ music became. He trailed pass windows, that glowed with sunlight. He ignored the sights the window afforded him, as he instead climbed higher and higher. The music grew louder and louder, all begging Marth to approach.

He had to stop however, as he came to massive red doors. There was no chain, no lock keeping the doors barred; much like Peach's room the other night. He shook his head of such thoughts in an attempt to clear them away. But it did make an interesting comparison; he felt as if Ganondorf was inviting him inside. Was Peach doing the same?

Now was not the time to bother himself with such thoughts. He pressed his hands on the large doors, then gave a mighty push. The doors slid open.

The mighty organ continued to play, as his blue eyes cut across a massive throne room. At the far end laid a man, his head obscured from view, as his back was turned towards the Hero-King. His red cape flowed to the ground, while the man pressed the keys of the organ piano before him. Between Marth and this man laid Peach, in a way. She was instead her trophy; dead to the world. Marth ran to her as he saw this, crouching at her side. Tapping the base of her trophy, she quickly turned back to normal.

"Aaaahhh! Pfffftttt! Jeeze, I hate that!"

"Peach, are you okay?" Marth asked, showing concern over her.

"Y-yes, dear," she said as she brushed a hand against his face, whilst smiling herself, "I'm fine... thank you..."

He smiled too, as his worried heart began to quell. Moving down, the two entered a gentle kiss on the lips, before a low chuckling broke their union. The organ suddenly grew silent, as the fingers that pressed the keys moved away. Marth and Peach gazed up to the man at the piano, listening as his own laughter over took the playing of his instrument.

"Haaaaaa..." said the man as he finally calmed down, cracking the bones in his neck, "It has been such a long time since someone last heard me play my music..." he looked over his shoulder towards Marth and Peach, "I must thank you for that. Marth... Peach..."

He laughed again, his chuckle rumbling them to their bones. Marth settled his eyes into a glare on the man, while he clutched Falchion closely. He stood up then, the man at the organ piano, his red cape flowing with his stance. Slowly, this man with burning red hair turned to face the two. His skin was a dark grey and green, having been honed that way by harsh desert winds. Matching this was the massive amounts of armor that covered his body, specifically on his shoulders, arms, and knees. He wore a tiara on his head, one that exuded with power. Most befitting his high status as a Geurdo King.

Was it a man they stood face to face with at this very moment? His yellow eyes of malice peered straight into Marth's soul, making him shiver. He felt as if every part of his being – both personal and formal – were laid out to bare by this man. Marth found himself way out of his league as he stared face to face with the King of Evil himself, Ganondorf.

"Can you imagine the image on my face when the King of Archanea himself and the Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom, stepped foot into _my_ land?" he crossed his arm, and began to chuckle dementedly, "Why now... _that_ made all the difference."

"Ganondorf, we did not come here for a battle," Marth claimed as she sheathed Falchion, showing his words were true, "We merely came to talk with you. There was an attack on my Kingdom, an attack led by-"

"Oh... I know," Ganondorf interrupted, silencing and stunning the Hero-King, "I've known the very moment that bomb went off..." his lips curl into an insidious smile, "I felt it all at once. The Triforce of Courage and Wisdom, instantly stricken from the earth. Why..." he clenched his fist, as it began to surge with darkness, "How could I _not_ feel such a glorious event? Zelda and Link... gone... _forever_..."

He frowned first, before his fists found way to his hips. Grinning madly, the King of Evil looked to the skies and gave a monstrous laughter. Said laughter was strong enough to instill fear within Peach and Marth, who quivered ever so slightly. But the Hero-King quickly swallowed his spit, trying his hardest to hide his apprehension. The last thing he wanted to do was allow himself to be bested by Ganondorf's laughter alone.

Marth took a step towards the laughing madman, only for his arm to be tugged upon by Peach. He looked back at her, while she silently shook her head in a 'no' manner. But he had to press on, or else this entire venture would be for naught. If Ganondorf was strong enough to instill fear and hopelessness in them from his _laughter_ alone, then he'd be the mightiest ally they could afford.

However, Marth could not deny the rumors he heard of the King of Evil. Ganondorf had hundreds upon hundreds of years of knowledge and power running through his veins; far more than Marth in his scant twenty or so years of age. He also owned the Triforce of Power; an ancient artifact bless by a goddess. All Marth had was the blade of light Falchion, and his military prowess.

He wish he could say he was cocky enough to trust in such odds. He wasn't as courageous as Link, nor was he as smart as Zelda, but he never gave up. Not until he was dead, anyway.

"Ganondorf... we can use your help," Marth stated, which brought his laughter to low chuckles.

"Mmm... _why_?" he asked.

"Wh-why?" Marth replied, "Because everyone has been captured!"

"Tough luck..."

"They're surely getting stronger in my castle!"

"So... and...?"

"They will come after you. Once they're done with the Millennium Court, they will surely come for all the lands after."

"Oh my... now _that_ would be a pain," Ganondorf replied sarcastically as he took his seat at his thrown, leaning leisurely upon his fist, "Then I'd have to actually _do_ something about it."

His mocking words gave way to chuckles, darkness flowing through his body. Marth sneered at the sight, twitching in place from the sight. It was one thing to simply say 'no', but it was something completely different to mock their situation. After all, they had to fight so much to get to this point, only to be turned away? And with a chuckle, nonetheless.

"You do not understand!" Marth shouted, causing Ganondorf's laughter to cease, "This is not some mere game, Ganondorf! Everyone is in that bubble, probably wasting away! Or worse..." he shook his head clean of such thoughts, before stepping forward, "You must help us!"

"No. I don't have to do anything," Ganondorf said as he slyly shook his head, "And why would I? Why would I possibly aid you all in saving your land? Especially when – among the defeated – are Zelda and Link? Sure, the Triforce is out of my grasp, but they also do not exist. I can – and will – take Hyrule by first, without the need of the other two pieces. For, you see, the Triforce of Power is more than enough."

"It'll _never_ be enough," Peach said as she walked ahead of Marth, putting on the bravest face she could muster, "For people like you, whether it be land, riches, or _power_ itself, its _never_ enough. You always want _more_ ," Ganondorf's glare settled on Peach, who froze up. She quickly relaxed however, before wilting behind Marth's back, "Believe me when I say it; I've been kidnapped enough times to see how you madmen work..."

"Hm... let's say I agree with your words, Princess Peach," Ganondorf said as he shifted in his thrown, "What does that change? What makes it any more worthwhile that I will join you in taking back your kingdom?"

"The Triforce," Peach answered, "You'll _always_ want the Triforce. It could vanish, and your squander the rest of your immortal life trying to get it back. We're all after the same thing here, you, Marth and I..." her hand slid into his, "We're... we're all searching for that... special thing in our lives..."

A calming silence overcame Ganondorf's court, as the trio stared at one another. Marth and Peach could only wait for the King of Evil to move, as they awaited his reply. What he did was smile. And then shortly after that he began laughing. The Dark Lord turned around, throwing his back to Peach and Marth while his laughter grew in size. At the same time, the Hero-King and the Princess of Toadstools felt a horrifying grief overcome them. With worry and dread, Marth began to withdraw the Falchion, and Peach pulled upon her skillet.

The Dark Lord suddenly stopped laughing, and silence returned to his throne.

 _SHING!_

"Ah!?

"Dah!?"

 _SPLANG!_

There was a hidden blade behind the Dark Lord's throne. That was all Marth saw of it, before it was suddenly in his face. He had no idea how he saw the blow coming, especially considering Ganondorf's shockingly blinding speeds. One moment he was at his throne, the next his blade was clashing with the Falchion.

Using all of his might, Marth did his best to hold Ganondorf away from him. But the King of Darkness' blade was far larger, and far stronger than the Falchion itself. Ganondorf's blade was a brown color in the center, coated with a chipped and worn silver blade. The sheer size of the blade equaled that of the holy blade Ragnell, though Ganondorf's sword was far fatter in comparison. But much like Ike and his claymore, Ganondorf was capable of wielding it with only one hand; an impressive feet considering its size.

The Hero-King's eyes peered dead ahead into Ganondorf's yellow eyes, seeing nothing but death and destruction. His sudden attack came as a surprise to Marth, for there appeared to be no reason. Marth didn't make himself out to be an assailant, but Ganondorf saw him as one. So be it; the Hero-King didn't come all this way to simply turn back now.

"I am not your foe, Ganondorf," he growled through gritted teeth.

"You are now," replied the King of Darkness.

He suddenly pulled back with his blade, swinging it with ease and power. Marth lifted the Falchion to block the blow, only for his blade to be swatted away like nothing. The power of the strike even through Marth a bit, nearly knocking his arm out of socket. Before he even had time to react, his neck was caught into grasp by Ganondorf's hand. He gripped the Hero-King tightly, pulling him up into the air. Hacking and wheezing, the King of Archanea could feel a powerful darkness flow through Ganondorf's palm

"Let go of him!" Peach shouted, before striking Ganondorf in the back with her frying pan.

As one may suspect, it did nothing. In fact, it did worse than nothing; Peach's skillet was now horribly dented after striking the King of Evil. Ganondorf sighed laxly, before dropping Marth from his grasp. Instead of just letting him fall however, the Dark Lord delivered a savage boot kick to Marth's stomach, sending him flying back.

Then he turned around, facing Peach who remained stunned with her frying pan's destroyed status. He began approaching the pink princess, who walked backwards and away with fear. Her hand suddenly glowing, she slammed it into Ganondorf's chest. The Dark Lord laughed at her failed attack however, even as Peach attempted to increase the strength of her shine. All Ganondorf did was laugh and laugh, until the situation lost all of its comedy.

His hand flew forward like lightning, striking Peach in the chest. She felt a dangerous burn of electricity surge through her body, as she was thrown back immensely. She fell onto the ground, gasping and groaning with pain whilst clenching his chest. The King of Evil, still brandishing his demented blade, continued to approach her with a smile on his lips.

He said nothing, merely chuckling as he made a demented gesture with his finger. Peach stood up, furrowing her brow at him, and causing angered sparkles to shine from her body. While fear did run through her at the moment – and who wouldn't be scared of Ganondorf? – she felt angered by him as well. After all, Bowser never struck her like this before. But what could she do against him? Ganondorf's strength greatly dwarfed her own; she'd be foolish if she attempted to fight him one-on-one.

Still, what else could she do?

 _SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!_

"Please, Princess, this is just too embarrassing," Ganondorf claimed.

He smiled dementedly down upon her, while her hand constantly slapped back and forth across his face. He was completely immune to Peach's slaps, slaps that were usually strong enough to make Bowser and the Koopalings wilt. To Ganondorf, it were as if a gentle breeze was brushing against his face, regardless of the sparkles she added. To Princess Peach herself, it were as if she were striking the face of a stone statue; it really, _really_ , hurt!

"Please, Peach, stop," Ganondorf said as he suddenly grabbed her arm, stopping her in place, "It's not going to- AHHHHHGGGGHHH!?"

A blade suddenly pierced Ganondorf's body, making him howl with pain. His eyes dilated themselves, while his face became strained. Looking down, he and Peach saw the head of the Falchion, sticking through his gut. The Dark Lord lifted his hand, and immediately struck Peach across the face, sending her flying. Then he turned around, when his eyes befell a certain Hero-King.

"That was... foolish of you, boy!" Ganondorf shouted at a stunned Marth, who could only babble with confusion.

"But, m-my sword, your chest!" he said, "You should be a Trophy!"

Ganondorf smirked, as he dragged his hand against his arm against his lip. He pulled back, seeing that his arm had been slightly stained by blood. His _own_ blood. He laughed scornfully at the pain running through his body, before crackling his knuckles.

"It takes more than that to stop me," he remarked, before pulling in his arm, "Now then..."

With a sudden, brutal, powerful elbow thrust, Ganondorf sent Marth flying. The Hero-King was even engulfed within dark fire, that continued to burn even after it fizzled out. He groaned and rived on the floor, barely able to keep conscious after such a vicious blow. Gripping his chest, all he could do was stare up to the Dark Lord, who lauded his power over the two.

"Is this all you can do!?" he shouted at them, "No wonder you two need my help! You can barely put up a fight! HRRRRNNNGGGHH!? HRRGH!? HRGH!? HRRRRNNNGGGHH!?"

Marth's eyes grew wide as he watched the Falchion shake within Ganondorf's gut. The King of Darkness doubled over in pain, while the divine blade in his gut steadily slid out. He nearly fell over, before turning around and glaring towards Peach. She held the Falchion in her hands, breathing harshly as she brought the sword up into her hands. Ganondorf gritted his teeth at the sight, making Peach look up to him. Nose twitching, Peach found herself overcome with fear as she stared into the angered eyes of the Dark Lord. However, throwing caution to the wind, she ran full force at her.

"HAAAAAAA!"

The Falchion slammed upon his chest, doing absolutely nothing. She grew wide-eyed from the sight, before slamming the blade upon Ganondorf's chest again. Once more, the King of Evil stared at her like she was a fool. Over and over again, Peach slammed Marth's blade down upon the Dark Lord's chest, only for nothing to happen.

"What? I... I don't understand?" she said as she looked at the Falchion

Don't get her wrong; Peach didn't expect to win, necessarily, but she did expect the Falchion to do _something. Anything,_ for that matter. But it seemed as if the divine sword was _ignoring_ her; as if it _refused_ to obey.

"The Falchion," Marth called as he grunted with pain, "Only listens... to those of Anri's blood... ackgh!?"

"Anri's blood? What does that mean? Hrgh!?"

She was suddenly brought up into Ganondorf's hand, who brought her to her knees.

"It means you can't use it, Princess," said the Dark Lord, "Allow me to demonstrate."

His fist began to emit dark energy that caused fear to flow throughout the princess. To match this darkness, she herself began to sparkle and glow brightly. Grip tightening upon the Falchion – her only protection in this situation – she caused the blade to glow a shimmering blue color. Marth stared at the sword with a hint of confusion, as it had never taken a form like this before.

But it had done something like this before, such a short while ago, in fact. When he fought Dr. Mario within his own court, the blade began to shine a great blue color. It felt stronger at that moment, though it had never taken such a hue ever again. Until now, that is. As he watched Peach hold the glowing Falchion, he realized it was her who caused it to take such a shine. It's shimmering blue color was thanks to the Princess channeling her own strength through it.

Peach could only pray it was enough. Ganondorf, showing a hint of realization, readied his blade. Seeing this, Peach readied herself as well.

"Alright..." she mumbled, before launching herself towards him.

The glowing Falchion clashed with Ganondorf's blade, sparkles and darkness flowing from their clash. This honestly surprised Ganondorf, who found himself on the defense. While Peach's strength could never match his own, the light in her strikes was enough to make his darkness wilt. It brought a smile to the Dark Lord's face, actually.

Over and over again, their swords clashed with one another. With every intersection of their blades, sparkles and darkness would fly out. Every now and then, hearts too would explode. Ganondorf couldn't believe how much _fun_ he was having. Twas all just a game to him anyway, as he clashed blades with Peach.

"I'm impressed," Ganondorf said as their blades met, holding one another off, "I always thought you were dainty ruler. Seems you have proved me wrong..." he leaned in, still smirking, "Your strength... you're comparable to Zelda herself. Not enough to stop me, but..." he chuckled, "Ya'know... heh heh... heh... heh haa... ha! Ha! Ha! Ha ha ha! Mwaaaahaaahaahaahaahaa!"

"Just shut up!" Peach replied as she pulled back.

She placed her hand on his chest again, causing a light to glow. But this light quickly took form of a large, pink, transparent heart. Said heart suddenly detonated, pushing the Dark Lord back, and putting much needed distance between them. After doing so, Peach pulled the Falchion back, breathing heavily. While not new to melee weapons of any kind, that didn't mean she was used to wielding a sword such as this. The Falchion was massively different from one of her golf clubs, umbrellas or tennis rackets, that's for sure.

"Peach, are you alright?" Marth said as he limped towards her, clutching his arm whilst doing so.

"I'm fine..." she said as she watched Ganondorf stand, who was chuckling dementedly. Peach sighed then, leaning leisurely upon Marth's shoulder, "I'm... I'm tired, Marth..."

"I'm tired too..." he said as they deftly traded the Falchion with one another, "You were amazing though. I'm impressed by your skills, tell me, who trained you?"

"I'm royalty," she replied with a smirk, "I'm naturally inclined to use swords..."

"Well, well, well," Ganondorf said as he stood up tall, making Peach and Marth switch to battle-ready stances, "It's funny... how much things change, they stay the same," he sucked in air through is nose, "Marth and Peach. You two remind me like Link and Zelda. A divine blade, a hero of the kingdom, a princess of light... and just as frustratingly _annoying_..."

He clenched his fist, making darkness flow through his limb. At the same time, darkness began to surge through his sword and entire body. Now it had become clear the King of Darkness wasn't going to play around, as his cape began to waver. Marth and Peach felt the wind in the throne room increase to storm-like speeds, as their clothing wavered about as well.

But Marth showed no fear. He settled his glare on Ganondorf, as he felt a power run through him as well. Turning over to face Peach, she looked back at him with blue eyes shining. She then pursed her lips, and pressed them to his cheek. His eyes closed shut to focus on that kiss, not moving until Peach pulled back. And when she did, his eyes snapped open; his blue eyes were a glowing yellow.

"Go get'em..." Peach said before pulling away from him.

Marth glared at Ganondorf, his eyes a golden-yellow. Ganondorf stopped charging his power, as a cocky smirk took his lips. Performing a 'come over here' gesture with his finger, he egged the Hero-King further. Marth nodded in response, before raising his blade.

The dim light that shined through the windows were caught upon by the Falchion's tip. Said ligh formed an 'X' over his blade, while a powerful shine took over the entire blade. It shined a blue color, surely the aid of Peach. Marth then pulled back, stomped one foot forward, then suddenly took off like a rocket towards his foe. At blinding speeds, he cleared the distance between himself and the Dark Lord. He pulled back his blade at the same time as Ganondorf did, and swung forward.

It was a blow that should destroy damn near anything. After all, with Peach's aid and his own strength, the blow was sure to be a critical hit.

Was _sure_ to be. But it _wasn't_.

Marth's eyes grew wide, while Peach herself gasped. Instead of striking Ganondorf and turning him into a trophy, Marth found himself clashing blades with the Dark Lord. Marth didn't doubt the power of Ganondorf's blade, but he felt as if the Falchion should have been strong enough to break through it.

All the while, Ganondorf's mocking laugh echoed into his ears. He stared up to the Dark Lord, who couldn't keep in his laughter. Confused and angered, Marth tried to figure out why his blade didn't defeat him. The answer came from Ganondorf himself.

"You think you're the only one capable of using a Final Smash?" chortled the Dark Lord, who rose his free hand, "Allow me to show you something!"

Ganondorf stared at his other hand, still holding Ganondorf off with his blade. To his own surprise, he watched as a golden triangle suddenly appeared upon the Dark Lord's hand. This triangle seemed to resonate with power, while even more power and darkness funneled through his body.

"The Triforce of Power gives me strength far greater than you could possibly imagine, boy!" Ganondorf shouted, before closing his eyes, "That includes..." his eyes opened, to reveal they had turned a golden-yellow color, "Final Smashes!"

Ganondorf suddenly chocked, as he pulled back. Darkness continued to surge around his entire body, mixed in with a mysterious aura. His body began to bulge and swell, growing immensely in size. At the same time, his dark complexion turned into a more blue-green color, and tusks began to protrude from his face. His entire face in fact, became less like that of a human's, and more like that of a bores. His armor changed as well, growing sharper, more jagged, and fiercer in appearance. His size began to tower over Peach and Marth, soon matching that of Giga Bowser himself. Also, the dark blade Ganondorf once wielded was replaced with two golden swords of even greater size and power.

Ganondorf, no, _Ganon_ , now stood before Marth and Peach, his eyes a glowing, milky-white. He said nothing, as the darkness from his body was more than enough to show his power. Finally, the Dark Lord stared down, while his chuckle echoed from his lungs. It bounced off the walls, sounding less human, and more like a ghastly echo.

"Yes... yes..." said Ganon as his lips curled into a smile, "You two must now see, that the battle has been lost for you..."

"Peach," Marth said as he walked backwards to her side, "Please tell me you have a few Light Arrows anywhere."

"Do I look like Zelda to you?" she said in response, "Besides I was never much of an archer anyway."

"Alright... well..." he looked at her, then back to Ganon, back to Peach, back to Ganon, and finally back to Peach, "I have no idea what to do in this situation."

 _THOOM!... THOOM!... THOOM!... THOOM!..._

Every step Ganon took made the land shake, and instilled fear within Peach and Marth. The Dark Lord rose his twin blades of gold and darkness, ready to end them with just one precise blow. Peach clenched tightly onto Marth, while the Hero-King valiantly – yet fruitlessly – pointed the Falchion towards the King of Evil. Once more, Ganon could only chuckle.

 _SPLINK!_

Until an arrow made of light and gold, flew straight overhead. It jabbed fiercely into Ganon's head, shocking him as well as silencing him. The next moment, a powerful pain began surging through his entire body. A golden light began to surge throughout Ganon's entire body, making him roar and groan with pain. He began to wilt in pain, eventually falling as he lost all control within his body.

He crashed into the ground, constantly barking out 'What!?' in reply. He finally got his answer, as a blade made of pure white was stabbed clean into his forehead. Ganon locked up, as every fiber of his being froze in place. Light began to pour through the area where he was stabbed, shaking his entire body.

"RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!?"

A golden light appeared upon Ganon's body, turning flesh into stone and marble. The blade in his forehead fell down to the ground, while his body reverted to Ganondorf's form. As it did so, he was turned into a Trophy, unable to move or do anything.

Marth and Peach stared towards Ganondorf's trophy form in shock, unable to comprehend what just happened. First and arrow of light, and then a powerful sword? Neither side were responsible for each attack, and traded glances with one another to figure out why. When they stared back down to the sword on the ground, they were suddenly over taken by a boy. A boy in green clothes, with a green hat, and blonde hair. He ran up to the sword, picking it up into his hands. Then he sheathed in, all whilst making a calming sigh.

The boy turned around, unveiling a wide face full of expressions. He had large eyes that glowed and black pupils. A mighty smile sat on his face, one brimming with hope and life. Not to mention the fact that he was incredibly-

"CUUUTTEEE!" Peach cried, as she suddenly took the boy up into her arms.

She was hugging him tightly, making the boy cry out from confusion and surprise. Marth could only scratch his head as he walked up to Peach and Marth, placing his hand on her shoulder to stop her in place. When she did, Marth gazed over to the boy in Peach's arm. He peered down harder at the boy, who peered back with as much determination.

"Sir Link?" Marth said in confusion.

"Uh-huh!" replied the boy.

"But... I mean... what? How, exactly?" he pulled on his face, "How did you get so small and compact like this?"

"Hey!" someone suddenly shouted from behind, "Stop pulling on Link's face! That's my job!"

Peach and Marth stared over to her, eyes falling upon a girl who shared the same visual styling as Link before them. She was a girl of equal age and height to Link, with a darker skin complexion. Her blonde hair was done up into a bob, quite striking in contrast to the rest of her style. She looked like a rogue with her red neck-tie, blue vest, and purple undershirt, along with her white shorts. Most of which appeared tattered or warn, having been marked thanks to years of travels.

Marth raised an eyebrow at this girl, who merely rolled her eyes at the sight. Crossing her arms, she walked up to Link's side, and stood near him.

"You two should be lucky we showed up when we did," said the girl, further confusing Marth, "Hylia knows what would've happened to you."

"I'm sorry madame but... who are you?" Marth asked as he sheathed the Falchion.

"My name's Tetra," she said, "Though, you two know me better as Princess Zelda."

"What?" Peach replied.

"But-"

"Don't! Call me Princess Zelda. It's Tetra! Just Tetra!... I thought I should tell you that information," she crossed her arms, "We came this way after the Subspace Bubble opened up... that's... uh... what they're called, right? We realized something was wrong when..."

Suddenly, both she and Link rose their hands. Upon doing so, triangles appeared on their hands. The Triforce of Widsom for Tetra, and the Triforce of Courage for Link. It shocked Peach and Marth, as well as confused them.

"These things popped back up," Tetra finished, "We assumed something happened to our... what do you call'em? Other halves, I guess?" she looked at Link, who merely shrugged his shoulders in response, "Yeah... our other halves... thank Hylia Ganondorf doesn't have another half; this would've been worse..."

"Um... th-thank you... Princess Zelda?... I... I think," Marth replied as he scratched the back of his head, all while Tetra grew angry.

"Tetra! It's just Tetra! My name is not Princess Zelda! My name is Tetra! Tetra!"

"Well, uh, Lady Tetra. Thank you for aiding us. We wouldn't have bested Ganonforf without it."

"'Lady Tetra'?" she replied, "Wow... I don't think I've ever been called 'Lady' before... say..." she got closer to Marth, scanning his face with her large eyes, "Have we met before? I feel as I've seen you before."

"Um... My name is Marth. King of Archanea. And this is Princess Peach," he replied.

"Ah... _King_... I see," Tetra said, before she whispered something into Link's ear, "That's hot. I'd like to get to know you a bit better, _King_."

She said so with a flirtatious wink, which made Link giggle. It actually quite annoyed Peach, while this blush of embarrassment flushed over her face. She hid it quickly, instead rubbing the top of her head.

"Well now, I do hope us aiding you wasn't out the goodness of our hearts," she said, "It's a hard world to live in, and sometimes we need the adequate payment. I'm not as jovially inclined to help people as Link is, so you must excuse my blunt ways."

"So, what, is this some sort of hold down?" Peach asked.

"No, no!" Tetra replied, "After all, we'll help you save our other selves for free. We're not _that_ cruel. But, you two _are_ royalty. I'd be foolish not to use this chance. I mean, our ship has been falling apart in certain places..."

"Why, that's just heinous!" Peach stated as she looked over to Marth, "We can't really pay them, can we?"

Link and Tetra then chuckled, while Marth sighed. While he couldn't agree with their statements of making he and Peach pay, they did save them. Besides, if what they said about being Zelda and Link were true – which he had come to believe – then he thought otherwise about her statements.

"Deal," he said, much to Peach's shock, "After all, you two did save us. For that, I am thankful, Lady Tetra."

"Please, it's 'Captain' Tetra," she said with another flirtatious wink, "I'd rather you call me that, King Marth."

The Hero-King laughed at her words, while Peach merely threw her hands up in frustration. Turning away from him, her eyes instead fell upon Ganondorf. The Evil King was still a trophy, yet still held an unmistakable presence in the air. Possibly because this was his castle, or perhaps it was because of his awesome power. It was hard to tell, yet it was terrifying all the same.

And yet, Peach approached him. Hand reaching away, it returned with a piping hot cup of tea. She knelt down at Ganondorf's side, then fearlessly tapped the base of his trophy. In doing so, a light appeared on his body, bringing him to life. This shocked and confused everyone, as they had just fought tooth and nail to stop him. And yet here was Peach, bringing him back to life.

"Urrrggghhh..." the Dark Lord said as he rubbed his head, feeling a pained thumping within.

When he looked forward, he saw Marth, Tetra, Link, and Peach. Peach specifically with a cup of tea in her hand.

"Would you like to talk now?" she asked, with the nicest smile on her lips, "I'd love to share some of my tea!"

…

A long time ago, he had felt something familiar like this. Standing on the edge of a boat, watching as land moved by. It was a very powerful moment to the young man hen, and remained that way over the years. To this day, when he rides a boat, he still feels incredibly emotional for some reason. As if he's leaving home again; as if he's going into exile once more.

Perhaps it's silly to think of such a thing, but that's just how it felt to him. Sad, jarring even. It didn't take much to figure out why he disliked boats so.

"Alright, alright," said Tetra as she manned the helm of her ship, "It shouldn't take us any more than a day or two to make it back to Archanea. We have have a good wind with us right now. Though... I think that's a given, seeing as how the Hero of the Winds is our shipmate."

She looked over to the green-clad young man, who waved around a mystical baton. He turned back to Tetra, giving a smile to her, while she rolled her eyes. Her ship road gently on the ocean waves, now heading back for Millennium Court. Of course, they had a few extra shipmates. There was Marth, who stared longingly out the ocean, and there was Peach, who had become quite a hit with Tetra's crew. After all, the only other woman on the ship was Tetra herself.

And, oh yes, there was _him_. The, guest of 'honor', if you will. He stood behind the helm of the ship, chained to the earth like some kind of animal. It was actually all very amusing to him, as evident by the smile on his lips.

"You know these chains are pointless," said Ganondorf with a demented chuckle, "I could escape any time I please."

"Perhaps," she replied as she looked back at him, "But you must forgive me for being mistrusting of the man who tried to kill Link and I. Not to mention our many predecessors and quite possibly our descendants."

"Only if they bare the Triforce, dear girl," Ganondorf replied with a chortle, one that made Tetra shiver through her body.

"Urrrggghhh..." she shuttered, "Just don't talk to me anymore... and don't summon anything that'll hamper and or kill us!"

"And miss the chance to destroy those fools who have the other Link and Zelda? As you kids say; as if..."

"Urggggghhh..."

The moon was showing up now, gently drifting glowing in size and power, while the sun moved down past the horizon. The smell of the ocean spray drifted into his nose, making it quiver. He brushed some blue hair from pass his face, while his eyes moved up to the heavens above.

What next for him? What would happen after all this was over? When he stormed back into Millennium Court and took it back, what would happen after? When the Ancient Minister has been defeated once and for all, then what? Well, he knew he'd return to his rightful place as ruler of Archanea. It was something he expected, waited for, even. And yet, it was impossible to ignore what could quite possibly be the biggest change in his life.

What of Princess Peach? He simply could not ignore her, and ignore the significant change she had on his life. She was no longer just another ruler to Marth; she was something so much more now. He simply couldn't imagine a world without her in it with him, as weird as it is to say. He _craved_ her, honestly. Craved to see her soft beautiful face, her puffy lips, and her shimmering blue eyes. How wonderfully perfect her blonde hair was, and how sparkles shined from her body in such gentle manners. She was like a living rainbow, having come down to earth in a show of hearts and light.

How wrong of him, he felt. He wanted to have Peach, all to himself if need be. Such sick thoughts; probably in league of those of a certain Koopa King. He had to shake his mind to free himself of such sick and depraved thoughts.

But the fact remained; what would happen to them next? Would their relationship simply shrivel up and die? Would there even _be_ a relationship after it was all said and done? Would they simply ignore these feelings for the betterment of everyone's lives? There was no way Peach would leave the Mushroom Kingdom for him, and there was no way he'd leave Archanea for her. Was fusing their Kingdoms an option? Considering the distance between the two, he highly doubted.

Life had separated them from birth. Even if they did wish to continue this relationship, it was impossible. When the Millennium Court was taken, they'd simply be royal peers again. No different from the likes of Zelda, or Tetra, or even Lucina herself.

"Marth?" Peach's soft voice called as she walked up behind him, making him pull his head up, "Are you okay?"

"H-huh?" he replied as he turned around, facing the Princess with his eyebrow raised, "Is... is something the matter?"

"That's what I was asking you," she said as her face became one of concern, "You look... sad, Marth. Did something happen?"

"No... no..." he remarked, "It's just something that is _about_ to happen..." he shrugged his shoulders, as he felt himself ignoring his own denial, "Peach..."

"Yes, dear?"

"What's..." he turned back to the oceans, "What's going to happen to us?"

"We're going to take back Millennium Court and free all of our friends. That's what's going to happen to us," she answered, making him shake his head in a 'no' manner.

"I mean... what's going to happen to us _after_ that?" he inquired, "When we save everyone.. what then?"

"Oh! Oh..." she replied, as she grew saddened, "Hm... I... I didn't think that far ahead... I just thought..." she wilted a bit, "Ya'know... happily ever after and such..." she covered her face with her hands, "I'm sorry... I was being childish..."

"Peach..." he whispered as he moved over to her, bringing her face back up to look at his, "I... honestly don't want to loose you..." his hand gently coursed down her sweet face, "I have no idea why but... you're very... important to me..."

"I feel the same way too, Marth," she smiled then, a smile that seemed to glow like the sun, "I wish I could explain why but..." hearts appeared around her face and body, "I... I think I _love_ you."

Her words felt like a blow to his heart. It hurt him, though he didn't show it. He just stared at her when she said those words, while she stared back with such a soft smile. Gently stroking his cheek and chin with her dainty hand, the Princess began walking away. Eventually, he watched her frame slip through the doors that lead into the ship's hull.

He remained on the ship's deck, feeling nothing but the gentle rocking of the sea. There was no one on the deck, as everyone had returned to their resting chambers. Well, of course, Ganondorf was here.

Marth was in a trance, ya'know. Peach's words had him so incredibly disheveled. He didn't know what to do. Everything in the world seemingly ceased to matter, as all he could think about was Peach. He could still see her frame, still feel her gentle touches. He found himself walking, still entranced within this world. He stepped through the doors into the ship's hull, traveling down into the sleeping quarters.

Peach was there, her back to him. She was pulling on the knob to her specific sleeping quarters; the one given to her for use by Tetra. She had just opened the door, when she felt invasive hands suddenly take her. A chest was pressed up to her back, and a gasp echoed from her lips. Said gasp turned into a moan, when she felt lips press to the nape of her neck.

"Marth..." Peach whispered.

His eyes closed shut, a his lips continued to press upon her soft skin. His teeth slightly grazed her, making her moan, and he sucked upon her as well. Peach bit her bottom lip, as they slipped into the bedroom together. It was relatively small room, with nothing more than a bed and a single small window to the ocean outside.

It was perfect.

"Mmmmm... Marth..." Peach moaned, as her hands sat upon the wooden wall.

She felt herself being pressed to it, while Marth's arms sat to her sides. She was pinned in place, unable to escape him. If she wanted to, anyway. She shivered as Marth continued to kiss and suck on her neck, and moaned as she felt her dress slipping daintily from her shoulders. She felt the cool air of the ship flow over her slightly wet neck, and shivered from it.

"Marth..." she whispered again.

His hands had grown more evasive, now gliding up and down the side's of Peach's body. The frame he had admired so closely was now free to his touch. All the curves and straights she had in that leotard could be felt through her dress. It was undeniably perfect.

He had never been with a woman before, yet he took to her with the ferocity of a lover. Indeed, a _lover_.

Peach found herself smiling, as her eyes were closed shut. She merely focused on the pleasure, of having her body being explored in such a way. It was just as new to her as it was to Marth. Maybe it was animalistic instincts and urges that drove them. Perhaps it was lust. Who knows; maybe love even? Did they even care?

She felt the strands on the back of her dress being undone, something that made her gasp. He was undressing her; no one had done that to her since she was a young girl. A hint of apprehension traveled through her body, which was soon quelled by a tongue. Marth licked her from the bottom of her neck, up to the top.

"Aaaaahhaaaaahhhaaaaa..."

Her great pink dress suddenly began sliding down her shoulders, unveiling more and more of her skin. Marth's kisses to her neck kept her placated, as she felt the cold air rush her. Her dress fell to her feet, showing her half-naked body in all its splendor. Her white bra, her white panties, and pink corset were the only undergarments she had on.

Strand after strand of that undergarment were steadily undone. As the corset she wore fell to the ground, Peach found herself slowly looking over her shoulder. Her eyes met with his.

"Marth..." she whispered, before their lips met with one another.

Warmth and pleasure was traded between the two, as love and lust mingled. Peach felt her lips being parted, and an invasive tongue sliding into her mouth. She didn't fight back, as the tongue played with her own. She moaned in fact, as his tongue slicked upon her own. Her body grew loose in his presence, and she fell slightly. But his arms around her shoulders and body kept her standing, giving her the support she needed.

The support. Yeah, the support.

They stopped kissing, instead leaning their foreheads against one another. Peach and Marth chuckled for seemingly no reason then, before nothing but their panting could be heard. Peach felt his hands slide to her shoulders then, gently squeezing upon her soft arms. She was pushed back then, until she found herself sitting upon the bed in this room.

The Hero-King stood beyond her in all his glory, still clad in his Lord uniform. As he knelt down to be at the same level as her, Peach slid her hands forward. She sat them on his shoulders, then began to pull off off the heavy clothing he had on his body. She pulled off his cape, and the heavy armor he had beneath his body. Pulling on his belt next, she undid it, and caused his clothing to fall loosely around his body. Grabbing his shirt by the hem, she pulled it slowly over his body, unveiling it to her.

Despite his pretty boy nature (a description she never really got, honestly), he had a most impressive physique. The years of swordsmanship and battles had been kind to the young king, as evident by his broad chest and toned stomach. She sat a finger on his chest, trailing it down ever so slightly. Then her hand was grabbed by his. And he looked at her.

"Peach..."

He moved in, pressing his chest to her chest. Peach could feel the warmth of his body mixing with the warmth of her body. She gasped in pleasure, and let loose an accidental moan. While her arms sat on his shoulders, she felt him move up and down in gentle strides. The snaps keeping her bra in place were undone, and she felt them fall loosely to the ground. A blush of embarrassment over took Peach, as she realized what was going on.

She and Marth? Was she about to let him see things – let him _do_ things – that no other man had ever done before? It was a terrifying thought, one that seemingly fought off her urges from before. But she _wanted_ this so much. She loved the feeling of his body melding with her body, his hands touching her skin, their lips meeting in kisses. Feeling one another, _tasting_ one another. They wanted more. But Peach, she _couldn't_ give more.

"Marth..." she whispered as she felt herself being pushed to the bed, laying upon her back.

He crawled over her, once again pinning her in place with his hands by her head. She looked at his arms, then slowly slid her gaze back up to him. His blue eyes were slightly covered by his blue hair, giving him a mysterious, almost distant look. She reached up her hand, gently brushing his hair from his face. Upon doing so, she could see the glow in his eyes. His face was hard to describe; he appeared to be just as unsure of things as Peach was. But just like her, he wanted it so badly.

"Marth..." Peach whispered as her hand gently stroked his chest, using her other arm to cover her breasts, "Marth..." he moved in slowly, stopping a few inches from her face, "Marth..." her eyes closed shut, "Please... _stop_..."

The two stared at one another long and hard, trapped in this situation they found themselves in. Marth didn't move as he looked down upon Peach, and she didn't move as well. They just stared at one another, breathing in and out lowly. She felt his hands squeeze tighter on the bed they laid upon, while lust continued to sit in his eyes and on his face. But it was diminishing rapidly.

"Peach," he whispered, before laying down on the bed besides her, "Urrrrrggghhhh... are you...?"

"Yes... I'm sure..." she replied, as she gently stroked his face with her hand, "We... we really shouldn't..." her eyes closed shut, "It would be _wrong_ of us to do it. An _insult_ to our kingdoms..."

"An insult to our kingdoms..." he replied, his eyes closing too, "Perhaps... perhaps you're right... Peach..."

"Yes, Marth?"

"Were we wrong?" he asked, "In what we're doing... in what we did... were we _wrong_ in doing so?"

"No, Marth... no..." she replied sweetly, "We weren't wrong... _you_ weren't wrong."

"Peach?"

"Yes, Marth?"

"I love you..."

She smiled.

"I... love you... too..."

Exhausted from the days events and the moment they just shared, Peach and Marth began to rest blissfully besides one another. Marth's eyes slid open very briefly for one moment, staring across the bed to Peach's resting form. She still looked beautiful, even in sleep. Such a perfect angel, she was. Wonderfully gentle face, such a sweet voice, and those puffy lips of hers. She even snored sweetly.

Marth's eyes closed too, as he felt himself drifting off to sleep. But then he felt Peach's body get close to his. Her head began to rest on his chest, her ear to his heart. He looked down briefly to her, seeing her lips curl into a gentler smile. A question came to mind.

"The other night..." he whispered, "Did... did you leave the door unlocked on purpose?"

At first, there was no response. But then, in the darkness of his closed eyes, he heard her chuckle.

"Toadsworth says... I need to learn to lock the door sometimes," she replied so suddenly, "Perhaps... I should listen..."

* * *

 _Maverick Talks!_

 _Ah yes, Ganondorf. This was the dude I've been building up to for a while now. Someone so strong, he could single handily change the course of their battle against the Ancient Minster, with his might alone. When it came to this chapter, I knew only one name could befit it; Ganondorf is just so awesome, he deserves the name of an entire chapter to himself._

 _Now then! Let me talk some more!_

 _Ganondorf in this chapter doesn't use his appearance from Twilight Princess, if you didn't notice. Instead, he uses his appearance from Ocarina of Time. AKA, the appearance he had back in Melee. I love Ganondorf's classic look, way more than his Twilight Princess one. Not to say Twilight Princess is ugly, I just prefer his original look. Even when Ganondorf transforms into Ganon in this story, he uses the Ganon that was in Ocarina of Time. He's not a quadruped, he's bipedal, and with two golden blades._

 _The entire intro against Ganondorf is like in Ocarina of Time as well. Marth ascends a series of stairs to his room, where he's playing the pipe organ. Only difference is the princess. It' not Zelda in a crystal, it's Peach as a trophy. Ganondorf even notes how much alike things are to fighting Link and Zelda. It's cute._

 _Speaking of Link and Zelda, we have Toon Link and Tetra appear. I figured that since Zelda and Link are out of commission, the Triforce just goes back to them. Something along those lines, ya'know? Or, perhaps they should also have the Triforce? I don't know; it's a bit weird to have these sacred treasures running around in more than three. Having five triforces makes... no sense. So when Link vanished, the Triforce of Courage went to Toon Link, and when Zelda vanished, the Triforce of Wisdom went to Tetra. They make note of their other selves in this story, which is how they knew something was wrong. They figured Ganondorf had something to do with it, but nope!_

 _Anyway, we're almost done you guys! When next we met, Marth and Peach make their trek back to Millennium Court and the invasion begins._

 _Also, sassy Ganondorf is sassy. I love him._

 _Maverick Kay Prime_


End file.
